Elon Musk's massive bet on Brain-Machine fusion appears to be on the right track. At an update event held recently, Neuralink showed a demo of a monkey with a chip implant that was able to control a cursor using his brain.
"He can't actually spell," said Musk during the event. "I don't want to oversell this thing."
Musk said that the company's eventual goal is to make a generalised I/O interface for the brain, that could theoretically help the disabled to have a second chance at life.
He stressed that Neuralink devices were designed to blend in, and not be outwardly obvious in a way that could turn people away.
The company has been perfecting its device for the brain that consists of a tiny implant called N1, that is roughly equivalent in size to a single rupee coin. It has 1024 channels that can record and stimulate.
To implant the chip, the company is developing a new surgical robot (R1), that can quickly carve out a portion of the human skull for the implant. Neuralink will offer its own clinics for the procedure in the future.
What is the N1 chip and how does it work?
The N1 chip is a small micro-processor that is embedded within a person's brain. It can record brain activity and stimulate it.
When implanted, the chip will sit just behind the ear and thin electrodes, which are a group of tiny wires, will be connected directly to the brain.
The 1024 electrodes will then monitor activity and sent electrical currents to stimulate the brain. The data from the chip can be captured wirelessly and sent to researchers.
If you are wondering if the N1 needs to be charged, then yes it does. The N1 can be recharged wirelessly and uses an Aluminum battery base. The company is working on a third generation charger with bi-directional capabilities.
Musk said that the company has already submitted documentation to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and expects human trials to begin in the next five to six months.
Upgradability is also high on the list of priorities for Neuralink. Musk said that their volunteer monkeys Sake and Pager have successfully upgraded their implanted chips.
“Upgradeability is very important because our first production device will be much like an iPhone 1 and pretty sure you would not want an iPhone 1 stuck in your head if the iPhone 14 is available,” said Musk.
Musk also emphasized that the company treats the test subjects with respect and the implants are tested rigorously before they are put in animals.
This seemed to be in response to various media reports that accused the company of mistreating animals for invasive brain procedures, when Neuralink confirmed that some of their test subjects had unfortunately died.
What is the future?
The brain isn't the only part of the human anatomy that Neuralink is targeting, at the event Musk said that the next step was to make devices that could potentially restore motor functions for people with severed spinal cords.
The company has already conducted tests that show their technology can stimulate movements in animals through multiple implants. This is likely an N1 chip, in conjunction, with another in the animal's spinal cord. In the future, the N1 chip could also detect health conditions and monitor health status.
Neuralink also inserted N1 chips into the visual cortex of two monkeys named Code and Dash. The data gathered from these chips could potentially help restore eyesight for the blind.
What is Neuralink working on now?
Musk stated that eventually the company would provide its research to universities and hospitals after it receives FDA approval. It would also consider open-sourcing its data and could publish them on their website.
It is also working on making the N1 chip smaller, to prevent scar tissue and inflammation. The company is working on improving the threads or the small wires in the device and said that test subjects usually adapt and learn to utilize the device fairly quickly.
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