It was back in 2016 that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk set up Neuralink. At the time, it was nothing more than a dream and a promise, that one day humans and computers would join.
Today, Musk finally revealed what that dream has evolved into and how it could open a whole new paradigm in communication.
Reuters
Neuralink, which has been reportedly developing a brain-machine interface for years, finally unveiled its technology to the public for the first time.
They want to help improve the quality of life for paralyzed people by implanting them with devices that could let them remotely control computers.
The Neuralink threads, attached to a fingertip for scale - Neuralink
The company's first big advance towards that goal is the development of flexible "threads". You see, brain-computer interfaces have been built before, but they involve implanting electrodes directly into the skull. These threads are about 4 to 6 micrometres thin, less than the width of a human hair, and much more flexible, meaning they're less likely to damage the brain they're being implanted in.
Aside from that, the threads also offer the possibility of a higher volume of data transfer, according to a white paper credited to Elon Musk and Neuralink. They say this kind of brain implant could include "as many as 3,072 electrodes per array distributed across 96 threads." Additionally, Neuralink has also developed a robot they say can automatically embed the implant into a person's head.
The robot that implants the device - Neuralink
When presenting the news early today, Musk said it wasn't about just generating hype. "The main reason for doing this presentation is recruiting," he said, and is encouraging talent to apply to work at the company.
Right now, the implant will be done in a way similar to brain surgery, in that it requires drilling holes in a person's skull. Eventually though, Neuralink scientists say they hope to do this with lasers. In the meantime, they're going to be carrying out experiments alongside neuroscientists at Stanford University
A rat with the threads and chip implanted - Neuralink
"We hope to have this in a human patient by the end of next year," Musk said. And yet, that incredibly short timeline wasn't even the most astounding statement of the night. No, that came from a later Q&A, when Musk revealed just how far their research has come.?
"It's not going to be suddenly Neuralink will have this neural lace and start taking over people's brains," Musk said. He does however reiterate he wants "to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence," something he's talked about years ago. His idea is that, as AI gets more and more advanced, merging with computers is the way humans stay relevant and don't get left behind.
The signal-processing chip - Neuralink
If Neuralink proves to be as minimally invasive yet as effective as it promises, it's a giant leap forward from previous brain-machine interface research. For one thing, it could offer victims of paralysis the chance at living a normal life. With enough research and advancement, perhaps the Neuralink could even go on to let them control not just computers, but full robots. That way, a paralysed person might even be able to live independently, getting robots to move them around, fetch and deliver things, and do everyday tasks the fully-abled take for granted.
To that end, Neuralink has developed a custom chip able to better read, and amplify signals from the brain. It currently only works over a wired connection via USB-C, but they're working to make it wireless. The ideal end goal would be to implant the brain threads with this wireless chip attachment, allowing someone to connect to all the digital devices in their home remotely.
What the final wireless product is envisioned as - Neuralink
That's the dream anyway, and it all depends on how the lab tests on rats go, as well as whether the FDA approves such technology. But if that happens, we may be in for really exciting times.