Elon Musk stated that he doesn’t want to raise hopes without any reason. But also adds that he is increasingly confident about the brain-machine by Neuralink having its first implant devices in humans by next year. The news comes out as he said the statement in a video interview during Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Conference.
Musk stated that he is cautiously optimistic, this news with a lot of emphasis as many patients from all around the world have been waiting for some developments. These implants can restore full-body functionality for quadriplegics and tetraplegics. It is stated that the company’s standards for brain-computer implantation are higher than the FDA requirements.
Musk said in the video interview, ” I don’t want to raise hopes unreasonably, but I’m increasingly convinced that this could be done.” In April, the company released a video that showed a monkey names Pager. The monkey implanted with brain-computer was able to play video games using its mind. According to Neuralink, they implanted two chips in the skull which can send brains signals from the monkey through 1,024 electrode transmission devices. These signals are then decoded and calibrated to predict the monkey’s mind intentions.
Progress made
Additionally, Neuralink states that the money was able to learn to play pong with six weeks of practice in return for a banana smoothie reward. Neuralink said in the video, “To control his paddle on the right side of the screen, Pager simply thinks about moving his hand up or down.”
As Neuralink released this video, Elon Musk tweeted that their products will enable a person with paralysis to be able to use a smartphone with their mind. Said that it will be faster than thumbs, where the later versions are expected to help “paraplegics to walk again.”
First @Neuralink product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2021
In August, the company released a video that showed a pig named Gertrude that had the brain-computer implanted in it surgically. It enables its brain activity to be recorded on a computer in real-time. These experiments as claimed by the company are only early steps that would lead to many more operations. It could potentially enable people with paralysis to operate computers and smartphones by only using their minds. However, as added by Elon Musk, ” I am definitely not saying that we can for sure do this, but I am increasingly confident that it is possible.” There have been many incidents in the past where Elon Musk replied to a person who could benefit from the Neuralink developments. This is one of the first times a positive hope is given to many patients.
