Elon Musk has already created Tesla and SpaceX and turned Twitter into X. Well, it’s clear that the billionaire isn’t finished, as he’s now started a neurotechnology company, along with seven engineers and scientists, called Neuralink. The purpose of this new venture is to assist people with impairments. The very first mission for Neuralink is PRIME Study, which has just begun.
The Announcement
Musk took to his platform X to announce Neuralink’s progress. He wrote, “The first human received an implant from Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection. Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs. Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.” Musk believes this technology would be of most use to people with obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia, as well as quadriplegics, as he had explained.
How it Works
Neuralink also posted on X, providing a bit of an explanation as to how the chip works. The post read, “Micron-scale threads would be inserted into areas of the brain that control movement. Each thread contains many electrodes and connects them to an implant called the ‘Link.’ The threads on the Link are so fine and flexible that they can’t be inserted by the human hand. Instead, we are building a robotic system that is designed to reliably and efficiently insert these threads exactly where the neurosurgeon wants them to be.”
This can be either a truly beautiful thing for humanity, or it can end really, really badly. Only time will tell.