rajkotupdates.news : elon musk in 2022 neuralink start to implantation of brain chips in human
Elon Musk, the billionaire behind Neuralink, announced that his health tech start-up is on the verge of developing a brain implant that could enable the blind to see and the paralyzed to walk again. The world’s richest man stated that the company will commence human trials within six months, and he himself intends to receive one of the chips. At a recent public event, Musk demonstrated that the wireless chip-based implant will be capable of recording and stimulating signals from the brain via tiny wires. Neuralink’s ultimate goal is to restore full body functionality to individuals with neurological diseases or spinal cord injuries.
Neuralink’s implant is a wireless chip system, contained in an enclosure approximately the size of a quarter, designed for implantation in the skull, with minuscule wires that interface directly with the human brain. Each wire, as thin as a few red blood cells, has 16 electrodes, allowing it to track and stimulate signals transmitted from the brain. Implantation involves removing an outer layer of skin and flesh, drilling a section of the patient’s skull, and removing tough connective tissue to expose the brain. The R1 robot then inserts the ultra-thin electrode-bearing threads individually into specific brain areas. In just 20 minutes, the R1 robot installed the implant’s 64 threads in a model brain during a live demonstration. The current N1 device is now the same thickness as the removed skull layer, allowing the device to occupy the space of the removed bone and be concealed under the skin. Musk likened having a Neuralink interface implanted to replacing part of your skull with a smartwatch, although some might find this a less than compelling sales pitch.
