Musk demonstrated how a monkey with a Neuralink chip implanted in its brain can print by thought - human trials to begin in 2023

By: Maksim Panasovskyi | 01.12.2022, 15:21

American billionaire Elon Musk is ready to start chipping people. The Neuralink company has already sent to the FDA the documents necessary to start human clinical trials.

Here's What We Know

Ilon Musk's company wants to develop a device that can be implanted in the brain. With it, a person could, for example, control a computer with the power of thought. This is primarily aimed at helping people with disabilities. Neuralink is testing the brain-computer interface (BCI) on monkeys and pigs. For example, last year the company showed a monkey playing pong.

The chip itself is a compact device with 64 flexible strands that is implanted in the brain in 15 minutes. Neuralink showed a new video in which a monkey with the N1 implant can type on a digital keyboard using the power of thought. This is done by converting neural impulses into information that the computer can interpret.

In doing so, the animal is only able to track the keys, which are illuminated in yellow on the laptop's display. The company has been able to advance for a year, but the N1 so far can only register brain activity to control cursor movement. That said, the system is still not capable of transmitting signals to the brain.

Neuralink debuted in 2016. Between 2019 and 2021. Elon Musk has stated annually that his company will get all the approvals "next year" to begin testing the technology on humans. The billionaire now claims that human testing will begin within six months.

Source: The Verge