Elon Musk seems to be on a roll currently. After acquiring Twitter and tweaking the administrative policies over the last few weeks- his focus is now Neuralink. On November 30, the billionaire stated that he fully expected his company to initiate human clinical trials for a wireless brain chip in the next six months. This statement seems quite dubious. So far, the company has missed all of the timelines Musk had set before this.
For those who are unaware, Neuralink is creating brain chip interfaces that could plausibly help disabled people communicate and move again. Recently, Musk added restored vision as an extra advantage of this creation. The company is based around Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area in San Francisco. Over the last few years, the company has been conducting trials on animals. It has been awaiting the approval of the FDA to start trials on people. [1]
In a press release, the CEO of Neuralink, Musk, stated, “We want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work well before putting a device into a human. The progress at first, particularly as it applies to humans, will seem perhaps agonizingly slow, but we are doing all of the things to bring it to scale in parallel. So, in theory, progress should be exponential.” The press release was conducted before a group of select invitees to a presentation of the company. Here, Musk focused on the speed at which the company upgraded this device. But on the other hand, the FDA stated that it had no comment on the existence or the status of any such product applications.
Elon Musk Has High Hopes For His Neuralink Project
Musk believes that the first human applications this brain chip would target will be ensuring movement and restoring vision to people. The billionaire stated, “Even if someone has never had vision, ever, like they were born blind, we believe we can still restore vision.” It is of some interest that this event was originally scheduled to take place on October 31. However, Musk postponed it without putting forward any justified reason. This covert nature of development does beget a question- how would the Neuralink device work? Provided, if it had to work at all. [2]
Apparently, an implant from this company is simply a wireless system based on chips. It will be stored in an enclosure about the size of a quarter. This device is then implanted within the skull of a human being. There, it directly connects with the human brain through wires. Every single wire used in this operation carries around 16 electrodes. They are capable of tracking signals that have been sent from the brain. They will also be stimulating it at the same time.
Implanting Neuralink
Now, for this to work, invasive surgery is the only option. A surgeon would have to first cut away the outer skin and flesh. After that, they would start drilling into the skull of the patient. There, they would expose the brain by removing the connective tissue over it.
This is where the latest technology comes into play. A robot would slowly but surely insert the ultra-thin electrode-bearing threads individually. The threads will be positioned in the sections of the brain that have been targeted previously. The robot that will be conducting the implantation process has been called R1. The device that would be implanted has been referred to as N1. [3]
The fact that something so dangerous can be attempted in just half a year should be a frightening venture. But, the founder of Neuralink has assured his guests and other admirers that this would be a matter of time before the implantation of brain chips became commonplace. Musk stated, “Obviously, we want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work well before putting a device in a human, but we’ve submitted, I think, most of our paperwork to the FDA. You could have a Neuralink device implanted right now and you wouldn’t even know. I mean, hypothetically…In fact, in one of these demos, I will.”
Risky and Invasive Procedure
Such a claim has definitely attracted a host of critics, who believe Elon Musk has a flair for the dramatics. Xing Chen, an assistant professor in the Department of Opthalmology at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine, stated, “Neuralink is a company that doesn’t have to answer to shareholders. I don’t know how much oversight is involved, but I think it’s very important for the public to always keep in mind that before anything has been approved by the FDA, or any governmental regulatory body, all claims need to be very, very skeptically examined.”
There have been scientists and researchers who have critiqued the hype Musk has introduced regarding Neuralink’s lofty goals. Anna Wexler of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania stated, “From an ethical perspective, I think that hype is very concerning. Space or Twitter, that’s one thing, but when you come into the medical context, the stakes are higher.” Regarding the invasive procedure, Asst. Professor Chen had quite a few words of warning. “There’s quite a few disorders, such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s and obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which people have received brain implants, and the disorders have been treated quite successfully, allowing them to have an improved quality of life. So I do feel that there is a precedent for doing this.” At the end of the day, the decision to commit to such a procedure would be entirely based on the profit-to-risk ratio of the patient. [4]
Keep Reading: You will get chipped — eventually
Sources
- “Elon Musk expects Neuralink’s brain chip to begin human trials in 6 months.” Reuters. Rachael Levy. December 1, 2022.
- “Elon Musk Wants To Begin Putting Chips In Human Brains Within The Next Six Months.” IGN. Anthony Wood . December 2, 2022.
- “Elon Musk shows off updates to his brain chips and says he’s going to install one in himself when they are ready.” CNBC. Ashley Capoot. December 1, 2022.
- “ELON MUSK’S NEURALINK DEMO PROMISED MIRACLES — BUT A NEUROSCIENTIST SAYS THE TECH IS DECADES BEHIND.” Inverse