He stated this phrase while he announced his latest endeavor on 28th August 2020. Of course, we are talking about the founder of the company “Neuralink,” Mr. Elon Musk. According to Musk, his company has built a self-contained neural implant that can wirelessly transmit detailed brain activity without any external hardware aid.
Syncing the human brain with AI making humans capable of controlling computers, prosthetic body parts, and other gadgets through brain activity without uttering any single word; his objective is phenomenal.
I switched on my internet, googled, and read about all these things, about the technology and its details, and here are what I found out:
A neural implant is a device that interacts with the neurons when placed inside our bodies. Neurons are the cells that communicate in the language of electricity. The implant happens to be an electrode typically while coming in contact with the tissues, tries to communicate with the neurons.
I switched on my internet, googled, and read about all these things, about the technology and its details, and here are what I found out:
A neural implant is a device that interacts with the neurons when placed inside our bodies. Neurons are the cells that communicate in the language of electricity. The implant happens to be an electrode typically while coming in contact with the tissues, tries to communicate with the neurons.
In brief, the implant allows us to hack into a human’s nervous system to develop new treatments following the healthy neural activity. It can cure abnormalities overriding the pulses of neurons.
The small, wireless, battery-powered implant Neuralink has been developing intends to read and write human thoughts from millions of neurons and convert them into computer commands and vice versa, and that too unseen from outside the body.
Neuralink's implant consists of all the essentials like a battery, processing chip, Bluetooth radio, and thousands of electrode contacts all on board. Each electrode records the activity between zero to four neurons, and thus thousands of them can record enormous brain activity. This device is also capable of transmitting data safely over the long term.
While mentioning his breakthrough, Musk demonstrated the device with live pigs, and Gertrude was the one with the implant in its brain. A monitor streamed the electrical brain activity being registered with the device. But the decoding and interpretation of brainwave data are yet to come. However, the company’s data is to be vetted by the research community since the transmission of that much amount of information is not demonstrated with humans.
Talking about the technology with the Spectrum before the live demonstration, president of Neuralink, Max Hodak said,
“Neuralink achieved the advance by experimenting with different materials, upgrading the antennae and wirelessly transmitting only heavily compressed embeddings of neural data from the implant, along with other optimizations made possible through a fast feedback cycle. One of the company’s latest prototypes is made of monolithically cast forms of glass that are laser welded together and hermetically sealed. The device so far has lasted safely in pigs for two months.”
According to an article published on IEEE Spectrum, researches and experiments over this surgically implanted BCI system have been going on for over 15 years. Since 2003, fewer than 20 people in the U.S. have received a BCI implant, all for restorative, medical purposes on a research basis. Most of these systems involve hardware protruding from the head, providing power and data transmission. The Braingate consortium and other organizations have enabled people with neurological diseases and paralysis to operate tablets, type eight words per minute, and control prosthetic limbs using only their thoughts.
As a matter of fact, it is not the first time that a neural implant is being invented. Still, it is used in fewer treatments for humans. One of the most established clinical use is DBS i.e., Deep Brain Stimulation. This is a surgical procedure in which electrodes are placed in some brain areas. These electrodes, or leads, generate electrical impulses that control abnormal brain activity. The electrical impulses can also adjust for the chemical imbalances within the brain that cause various conditions. The stimulation of brain areas is controlled by a programmable generator placed under the upper chest's skin.
FDA first approved the use of DBS in 1997 for essential tremors. Since then, with other organizations, it has been approved for incurable disorders like Parkinson’s diseases, dystonia, tinnitus, epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and neuropathic pain. It is also under research for Tourette Syndrome and Depression.
The vagus nerve inside our body connects most of our organs to the brain stem. The scientists and researchers are working as hard as they can in manipulating this nerve to treat heart failure, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, migraine, and other ailments.
Adding more to the lists, some science fiction elements, scientists have also successfully enhanced memory capability for specific tasks. Quadriplegic individuals with brain implants have operated computers and typed sentences using only their thoughts.
The neural implant is indeed a revolutionary technology that has prodigious competence like in medical science. Though the prototype released is not yet launched. Still, according to the latest sources, the company is not far away from performing human trials. As the world moves forward with these astounding developments, the challenges leading to negative consequences also lie. But as a rational being, it is our responsibility to drive it towards a positive direction to enhance our existence and make the world a better place.
Now answer me this,
“DARPA announced its interest in developing “cyborg insects” to transmit data from sensors implanted into the insect during the pupal stage. Which is the first cyborg insect?”
Want to take a guess? Go for it. We will be waiting for your answers in the comments section. And do not forget to like and share this blog with your friends and tech-enthusiasts.
Here are some internet sources for references:
1. https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/elon-musk-neuralink-advance-brains-ai
2. https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/what-is-neural-implant-neuromodulation-brain-implants-electroceuticals-neuralink-definition-examples
3.https://news.mit.edu/2018/neural-implants-modulate-brain-microstructures-with-pinpoint-accuracy-0628
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