Neuralink: A Brain Hacking Tech or a Neuroscientific Breakthrough?
We have all seen Elon Musk turning up in the news very often, and even when he’s not, he somehow manages to manoeuvre his way into the limelight with something new. Musk, also the founder and chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, recently came forward with a breakthrough in his current endeavour, Neuralink. He has planned to integrate and implement Neuralink technology throughout the globe in the foreseeable future.
Be it inventing self-driving cars or a mission to Mars, Elon Musk has always followed through with such ambitious ventures. The celebrity tech entrepreneur has mapped out new plans for the future. At a Neuralink event, Musk said:
“We can save and replay memories. The future is going to be weird.”
Neuralink Explained
Neuralink is a neurotechnology designed to provide an interface between the human mind and the computer. Elon Musk kicked off this company in 2016 and its objects were announced in 2017 as reported in the Wall Street Journal.
This Neuralink technology could solve several medical conditions by only implanting a neuralink chip inside the brain, providing treatment for brain disorders such as anxiety, blindness, paralysis or any kind of brain or spine problems. Musk believes that just a tiny neuralink implant could be the solution to all neurological disorders.
Apart from Neuralink benefiting the neuroscience world, it could also be implemented to communicate with each other. Telepathy, translating an unknown language in your mind, replaying your memories or even playing music directly into your brain. Sounds a lot like some wacky sci-fi movie, but Elon Musk says his plans could be possible. He also predicted it could sanction a:
“human symbiosis with artificial intelligence”
Musk Performed a Neuralink Demonstration in August 2020
Elon Musk has planned to test the Neuralink technology out on humans as well, but so far the technology has been tested on rats, monkeys and pigs. In August 2020, Musk unveiled a stream of a pig called Gertrude, who had the neuralink chip implanted in its brain for two months. This was a major Neuralink update as of yet.
In the demonstration, the Neuralink chip in her brain sent continuous signals wirelessly which were displayed on a graph and in no time the AI could predict Gertrude’s movements. He animatedly described this neuralink implant as:
“kind of like a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires.”
There is still a long way to go before implanting humans with the technology, as the implications, if wrong, could cause very serious concern. Scientists need to look at the long term effects of the Neuralink chip, so currently nothing can be said with 100% certainty.
Neuralink Allowing Robotic Limbs to Have a Feeling of Touch
For someone who has been paralysed or has lost their limbs, this could be the next big step in the neuroscience world. The Neuralink chip could monitor which areas of the brain are in action when we touch and feel things, the tiny electrodes could send out signals through nerves and if it successfully does that then this technology could be a breakthrough and a new ray of hope for people all around the world.
Health and Security Implications of Neuralink
So far, Elon Musk seems to be over-ambitious about certain plans he has for Neuralink. He isn’t the first one to believe that a technology such as this could restore or improve human capabilities. Furthermore, there are certain security concerns that people have voiced out regarding Neuralink. Questions were raised such as: “Could Neuralink be hacked?” or “Could the data be leaked?” and many more of the similar nature, all abiding by a single concern.
Although Musk claims that the technology will be completely safe, removable and a person could go through with the procedure in an hour without the need for anaesthesia and that too performed by robotic sewing machines. But the chance of the technology somehow creating a chemical imbalance in the brain is an unsettling thought for many.
How much will Neuralink cost?
Even though in the recentNeuralink update video, Elon Musk promised to make the technology affordable for everyone but that can’t be seen anywhere in the near future. Initially, the estimated cost of Neuralink would be around $10-12 million, granted if the technology is developed like Musk has promised it would.
Final Thoughts
Elon Musk said that he and his team would possibly start Neuralink human trials within a year. Neuralink could soon enough become a very real and applicable technology. In an article on Business Insider,
“It could potentially happen in Elon Musk’s lifetime”,
said Hires, a neuroscientist. But how will such a collective change occur? We might find out in the next update by Elon Musk.
