Elon Musk told when Neuralink will start to really chip the human brain

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk discussed details about the potential of the technology in a recent podcast with Joe Rogan. Neuralink, which faces the task of combining the human brain with a computer. In addition, he said when the technology is going to be tested on people. According to him, this will happen very soon.

According to Musk, ideally technology should create a symbiosis between people and artificial intelligence.

“We are already cyborgs to some extent. We have smartphones, laptops and other devices. Today, if you forget your smartphone at home, you will feel as if you have lost one of your limbs. We are already part cyborgs,” Musk said.

Neuralink, a company co-founded by Musk himself, has been developing ultra-thin electrodes that are implanted into the brain to stimulate neurons since 2016. The company's current goal is to adapt the technology to treat patients with quadriplegia (partial or complete paralysis of all limbs), usually caused by spinal cord injury.

During the podcast, Musk explained how the implant will be implanted into the human brain:

“We'll literally cut out a piece of the skull and then put a Neuralink device in there. After this, the electrode threads are very carefully connected to the brain, and then everything is sutured. The device will interact with any part of the brain and will be able to restore lost vision or lost functionality of the limbs,” Musk explained.

He explained that the hole in the skull would be no larger than a postage stamp.

“Once everything is stitched up and healed, no one will even guess that you have this thing installed,” Musk explained.

Neuralink technology was officially introduced in 2019. From the presentation it became known that the company is developing a special N1 chip.

It is assumed that four such chips will be installed in the human brain. Three will be located in the area of ​​the brain responsible for motor skills, and one will be in the somatosensory area (responsible for our body’s sensation of external stimuli).

Each chip has very thin electrodes, no thicker than a human hair, which will be implanted into the brain with laser precision using a special device. Neurons will be stimulated through these electrodes.

The chips will also be connected to an inductor, which in turn will be connected to an external battery mounted behind the ear. The final version of the Neuralink device will be able to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. Thanks to this, paralyzed people will be able to control their smartphones, computers, as well as advanced prosthetic limbs.

Musk said last year that a prototype chip had been successfully installed and tested on a monkey and a mouse. Leading specialists from the University of California participated in the experiment with the primate. According to Musk, the result was extremely positive.

Previously, Musk also explained that the brain consists of two systems. The first layer is the limbic system, which controls the transmission of neural impulses. The second layer is the cortical system, which controls the limbic system and acts as a layer of intelligence. Neuralink can become the third layer, and once on top of the other two, work with them together.

“There may be a tertiary layer where digital superintelligence will reside. It will be much smarter than the cortex, but at the same time will be able to peacefully coexist with it, as well as the limbic system,” Musk said.

In the podcast, he said that Neuralink will one day be able to give people the ability to communicate with each other without words. You could say on a telepathic level.

“If the speed of development continues to increase, then perhaps this will happen in 5-10 years. This is the best case scenario. Most likely in ten years,” Musk added.

According to him, Neuralink will be able to restore lost vision. Even if the optic nerve is damaged. In addition, the technology will be able to restore hearing.

“If you suffer from epilepsy, Neuralink will be able to identify the source and prevent a seizure before it starts. Technology will make it possible to cope with many diseases. For example, if a person has a stroke and loses muscle control, the consequences can also be corrected. For Alzheimer's disease, Neuralink can help restore lost memory. In principle, technology can solve any problem related to the brain.”

The Neuralink founder also added that there is still a lot of work ahead. The technology has not been tested on humans, but this will happen soon.

“I think we will be able to implant Neuralink into the human brain within the next year,” Musk said.

Source: 3dnews.ru