According to Bloomberg News, Neuralink Corp belonging to Elon Musk, is planning to implant coin-sized computers into human patients in the next 6 months. The company revealed this at an event that took place at the Freemont, California headquarters Wednesday.
Finer Aspects of the Device
The product by Neuralink is in the process of being refined. It comprises a tiny device equipped with electrode-laced wires. The discussions between the company and the US Food and Drug Administration have taken a positive turn till now and are good enough for the company will set a target date for the first trials on human beings in the next six months.
How Will the New Device Help?
As is usual with Elon Musk’s other venture, the company is already leaping to implant the device in other body parts. At the event, Musk was found stating that it is currently working on two significant products aside from the brain-computer interface. The development of implants that can fit into the spinal cord and retrieve movement in individuals that are not active due to paralysis is underway. Not only that, but Neuralink is also into making ocular implants to improve human vision.
Bloomberg News reports that the main objective of BCI or brain-computer interface in its initial stages will be to let a person in a debilitating condition, which might include ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, one who has suffered a stroke and suffering from after-effects will benefit.
How does the Device Work?
The device under development by Neuralink works by translating neuronal spikes into data for interpretation by a computer. Elon Musk is hopeful that the device might become mainstream and make the transfer of information between machines and humans possible.
The brain-machine interface technology has been researched upon and advanced by academic experts and settings for several decades. The entry of Musk into this domain has spurred an array of investments from various venture capitalists into the startups and aided in pushing this field forward at a much more rapid pace.
Neuralink has proposed a surgery that is invasive and comprises removing a part of the skull for the wires to be inserted into the brain tissue. Primates are the main ones Neuralink has conducted tests. These tests ensure the surgery is safe and that the implant will not cause harm to the recipient.
