Significant breakthroughs have been made by Elon Musk‘s Neuralink in the field of brain-computer interface technology. They have lately succeeded to transplant their device on another patient, building upon success obtained from the first human trial.
Key points
It is a small chip that is placed inside the brain for Neuralink. It contains over 1,000 microscopic electrodes able to read and send brain signals. The idea is to enable paralyzed people to use computers simply by just thinking.
Elon shared some great news about Neuralink on a show. Musk said the second implant appears to be doing well with many signals received from his brain. It was an encouraging news for him as well as others who may benefit from this technology in future.
The first recipient of a Neuralink implant was Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old who had become paralyzed after diving accident. He has regained some independence and reconnected with the world by being able to play video games and working his computer mouse just through thoughts about it.
Moving forward, Musk has grand visions of what he wants Neuralink to achieve. What he believes is that anyone having Neuralink implant will outdo professional gamers within one or two years due faster reaction times .This claim explicitly portrays how powerful this system could be according to its creator.
But gaming isn’t all that Neuralink can do about it. Instead, he talks of using it to better enable humans to interact with artificial intelligence (AI) and even make people “superhuman” like having enhanced vision that includes ability for ultraviolet lights or infrareds.
Nevertheless, at present moment main priority remains – assistance towards individuals with neurological disorders are receiving help right now. In this regard, eight more patients would be implanted with their device this year as part of clinical trials at Neuralink Incorporated .For purposes beyond medical needs such uses must also pass strict safety checks.
Nonetheless excitement brought about these achievements also leaves us asking ourselves some critical questions. Specifically, what are the long-term consequences of having a brain chip and who decides on installing one? It is just true that for Neuralink to move on ethically it has to think about these ethical concerns as much as technological advancements.
Neuralink’s progress demonstrates how quickly brain-computer interface technology is advancing. From helping paralyzed patients to possibly enhancing human abilities, this field could change many aspects of our lives over the next few years.
