Elon Musk’s Neuralink Brain Chip has Implanted in Human Brain
In the era of advanced medical science, nothing is impossible. With the help of advanced technology, many companies are creating artificial organs and other important parts of the body to deal with complicated medical issues. One such impossible task has been done by an American neurobiology company that successfully installed a brain implant in its first human patient. The company’s co-founder, “Neuralink”, has shared the news on X (formerly known as Twitter). On Tuesday, 30th Jan 2024, the billionaire businessman, Elon Musk stated his Neuralink startup had proceeded an impossible task with “promising” initial results.
The neurotechnology firm co-founded in 2016 vision is to create direct communication channels between the brain and computers. The firm aims to supercharge the human’s capabilities with the help of the brain chip. Elon Musk co-founded the brain chip company with the ambition of treating neurological disorders like ALS or Parkinson’. The company also wishes to achieve a symbiotic relationship between artificial intelligence and humans. Now, ever since this news came forward, many people are excited to know how this technology works.
While sharing the news on X, Elon Musk states “The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.” The company named the first product of Neuralink as “Telepathy”. According to Musk, the naming of the product is decided after monitoring its ability to communicate mentally which is also known by the term “Telepathy’. The tweet of the co-founder clearly claims that the initial results of the product are showing promising neuron spike detection.
Simply put, it means that the chip is showing its ability to the brain in the form of sending signals to the body. It is worth noting that the startup received its clearance to conduct the experiment or installation on a human being last year from the US Food and Drug Administration. The company received this clearance to help paralysis patients with the help of a chip.
Neuralink brain chip function and how can it be helpful in curing neurological disorders?
The co-founder of Neuralink explained through his tweet how the implant or brain chip functions. As per Musk, the brain chip connects the brain of the patient to any electronic device which means patients who are suffering from physical disability can use this chip to give signals and function well. Musk himself made this claim through his tweet. He states that “Enables control of your computer or phone, and through them almost any device, just be thinking. Initial users of this implant will be those who are facing physical challenges and lost the use of their limbs.” He gives the reference to Stephen Hawking, an English theoretical physicist, author and cosmologist who was suffering from ALS.
In the tweet, Musk said, “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer.” Speaking about the formation of the product, Neuralink states that the brain chip is made of “ultra-fine” threads. The implants can easily transmit signals from the brain and give direct commands to an electronic device that is connected to it. As mentioned in an American neurobiology company, the mission of the firm is to build a “generalized brain interface to restore or recover autonomy to those with unmet medical needs.”
It is also mentioned on the website that the study was called “PRIME” which stands for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface. The website reads, “It is a groundbreaking investigational medical device rial for our entirely implantable, wireless brain-computer interface.”