Elon Musk Explains Neuralink - Connection Between Brain and Computer
Elon Musk recently presented a device which is an interface between the brain and a computer. Let's see how Neuralink works, how it is implanted and whether it can be removed safely.
- Elon Musk explained how Neuralink, a device for direct communication between the brain and computer, looks and works;
- Neuralink can be used to treat diseases involving impaired transmission of impulses in neurons;
- The device implanted in the brain can be safely removed, the evidence is one of the experimental pigs.
The recently shown Neuralink, or at least its early developmental version, has generated considerable interest. Elon Musk presented a device that can read signals in the brain and transmit them to a computer, and vice versa. He also explains how it works, how does the procedure look like and whether it is possible to safely remove the module from the body.
The example of three pigs showed how Neuralink works and it was proven that it can be removed. One of the pigs has the device currently installed, behaves normally, and shows no health problems. The other has been previously implanted and had the implant removed. In this way, it has been proven that Neuralink's removal is possible.
Musk explained how the Neuralink implementation process will look like. The small device will be placed in a hole cut out in the skull, while the very thin wires connected to it will be placed in important parts of the brain. The small electric threads are thinner than a human hair and can transmit signals in both directions - to receive impulses from neurons and manipulate them. The device's battery is designed to last all day long and be charged wirelessly.
Together with the system implanted in the skull, a special device has also been developed to perform the procedure itself. It was decided that it is more reliable to carry out the operation through a machine. Reducing the human factor will increase precision, sterility, and safety of Neuralink's implantation in the body. The robotic "surgeon", like a very precise sewing machine will place extremely thin wires in the right places in the brain.
Neuralink ma be used in the future for the treatment of a variety of disorders related to the transmission of signals in the brain. Musk also lists such ailments as memory loss, depression, blindness, and seizures, which can be treated with the implant. The new invention can help in their treatment by regulating the impulses transmitted in the brain centers.
There have been concerns about the possibility of "mind hacking", but the design team ensures that the data is properly encrypted. The reality created in Inception is not yet threatening us. The animal testing phase of the prototype has now proved that the device is reasonably safe, but also that there is still a long way to go.
