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| Elon Musk and the Neuralink Brain. (Creative Commons License). |
One of the most controversial fields in science is empowering the human brain with microchips. It raises safety and ethical concerns as there is lots of room for serious error and abuse. Elon Musk, however, claims to be pursuing his Neuralink technology for noble causes.
With Musk pushing for human trials for Neuralink to start next year, we look at what he wants to achieve with his experiments.
With Musk pushing for human trials for Neuralink to start next year, we look at what he wants to achieve with his experiments.
Is Neuralink Ready For The Human Brain?
When scientists or researchers work on products meant for human consumption, they often carry out tests on animals first. This step is to study the likely negative impact the new product could have and try to rectify them. Scientists choose the animals that exhibit the desired human traits the most for these tests. There are ethical concerns about using animals in experiments or tests, but many people agree it is a necessary step in science towards human evolution.
Neuralink has conducted tests on animals, including pigs and monkeys, with impressive results. Musk claims the results are adequate, as they have demonstrated that the animals can carry the hardware in their brains for a long time with no damage done. The gadgets can also be safely removed.
Speaking of his company’s readiness for human trials, Musk said Neuralink’s standard for putting its chips in the human brain is higher than the FDA’s, meaning Neuralink should not have any difficulty getting approval. In other words, only the clearance from the FDA stands between Neuralink and the human brain.
When scientists or researchers work on products meant for human consumption, they often carry out tests on animals first. This step is to study the likely negative impact the new product could have and try to rectify them. Scientists choose the animals that exhibit the desired human traits the most for these tests. There are ethical concerns about using animals in experiments or tests, but many people agree it is a necessary step in science towards human evolution.
Neuralink has conducted tests on animals, including pigs and monkeys, with impressive results. Musk claims the results are adequate, as they have demonstrated that the animals can carry the hardware in their brains for a long time with no damage done. The gadgets can also be safely removed.
Speaking of his company’s readiness for human trials, Musk said Neuralink’s standard for putting its chips in the human brain is higher than the FDA’s, meaning Neuralink should not have any difficulty getting approval. In other words, only the clearance from the FDA stands between Neuralink and the human brain.
What Does Neuralink Want To Achieve With Its Tech?
Musk is a problem solver. Describing the purpose of Neuralink, the billionaire said, “The neurons are like wiring, and you need an electronic thing to solve an electronic problem.”
Musk is a problem solver. Describing the purpose of Neuralink, the billionaire said, “The neurons are like wiring, and you need an electronic thing to solve an electronic problem.”
Musk said Neuralink’s standard for putting its chips in the human brain is higher than the FDA’s, meaning Neuralink should not have any difficulty getting approval.
In other words, Musk wants to solve human problems that involve the brain by bridging the gap between the human brain and technology.
The list of problems Musk hopes to solve is quite long. He has talked of helping quadriplegic people walk again, enabling the blind to regain their sight, and assisting people who can’t speak to form understandable words.
Neuralink will also treat people suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Apart from diseases, Neuralink will let humans control things with the mind. For example, you can theoretically control your smartphone with your mind if you agree to have a Neuralink chip in your head. The monkey in one of the company’s demo played a ping-pong game with its mind. Neuralink can even empower you to put your imagining down on a canvas as a drawing. Imagine that!
The list of problems Musk hopes to solve is quite long. He has talked of helping quadriplegic people walk again, enabling the blind to regain their sight, and assisting people who can’t speak to form understandable words.
Neuralink will also treat people suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Apart from diseases, Neuralink will let humans control things with the mind. For example, you can theoretically control your smartphone with your mind if you agree to have a Neuralink chip in your head. The monkey in one of the company’s demo played a ping-pong game with its mind. Neuralink can even empower you to put your imagining down on a canvas as a drawing. Imagine that!
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Neuralink