Elon Musk Makes Bold Promises About Neuralink Interface
Elon Musk is most notably the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, but he has his fingers in several other pies. Musk has never been afraid to take to Twitter and drop tidbits of information about future products and technology from any of the companies he operates. He recently took to Twitter to talk about Neuralink, a company working on brain implanted interfaces for humans.
Musk says the first Neuralink product will allow someone who is paralyzed to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using their thumbs. Musk also tweeted that later versions of the implanted device will send signals from the Neuralink in the brain to Neuralinks implanted in the body motor/sensory neuron clusters to allow people with paraplegia to walk again. Scientists worldwide have been researching ways to help those with disabilities regain their mobility and freedom for decades.
Musk also dropped a few hints at what the implantable devices might look like. He says the device would be implanted flush with the skull and would charge wirelessly. Musk promises that the implanted device would allow the user to look and feel normal. Interestingly, Musk says that the Neuralink device would come with a wireless charging baseball cap.
Earlier this month, a Neuralink video was released showing a monkey playing the old videogame Pong using its mind thanks to Neuralink implant. In the case of the monkey, the Neuralink device was implanted into its brain, and software analyzed how neurons in the monkey's brain responded to joystick movement.
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
The monkey in the video had a Neuralink implant installed in each side of his brain about six weeks ago. The monkey was encouraged to perform specific activities by giving him treats, which consisted of a banana smoothie delivered through a metal straw when he completed on-screen tasks.