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Brain implant company Neuralink is preparing to operate on a second human patient “within the next week or so,” founder Elon Musk said in a rare video update on Thursday, suggesting that the futuristic neural chips will one day offer users “cybernetic superpowers” and the ability to control robots.
In an early-morning video update with a panel of lead Neuralink engineers, surgeons, and designers, Musk discussed the recent successes the company has seen before turning his attention to the future. According to the tech billionaire’s optimistic vision, Neuralink chips will one day enable amputees to not only regain their lost functionality but also potentially operate prosthetics with even greater speed and strength than was previously possible. He also indicated that the chips could be used for treating epilepsy and fully reversing paralysis, both of which would be “tough problems, but ultimately solvable.”
Additionally, users will be given the ability to control Tesla’s line of humanoid robots, known as “Optimus,” with nothing but their thoughts.
According to Forbes, Musk’s ambitious updates have sparked both excitement and skepticism among investors and the scientific community. While Neuralink technology could potentially revolutionize the tech and medical industries, experts have long questioned whether Musk’s timeline for these breakthroughs is realistic, especially given the progress of the brain chip’s first clinical trial.
Nolan Arbaugh, a quadriplegic who became the first human subject implanted with a Neuralink device, showed great progress during the early stages of the trial, gaining the ability to move a computer mouse with his mind. In the weeks that followed, issues arose with the chip that caused it to partially detach from his brain, reducing its functionality. However, Neuralink is taking steps to prevent this issue in future implants, including inserting the device deeper into the brain, eliminating air pockets, and slightly sculpting the patients’ skulls around the chip.
During the update video, Musk also teased an upgrade for the existing chips that could “double the bandwidth” of the current model, increasing the number of wires in the brain from 64 to 128 while reducing the number of electrodes on each one from 16 to 8. However, no timeline for this update was provided.
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Source: Valutainment
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