Technology is advancing at a rapid pace these days and companies around the world and investing millions into developing the next big thing. One of the fantasies of human beings is the ability to control devices with just the mind. Think it, and the device will make it happen, has been an idea that has enthralled and captivated the imagination of people ever since Science Fiction entered our lives, but it seemed unlikely that we would be anywhere close to achieving this technology, until recently, when Elon Musk announced Neuralink.
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What is Neuralink?
When Elon Musk announced Neuralink in 2016, the intention was clear – To allow humans to control machines with their brains. During a release in 2019, Elon and his team proclaimed that they had come up with ultra fine threads that would be implanted into the brain of human beings and that would help humans achieve this superhuman feat of controlling their gadgets with their thoughts.
Elon also announced that they have robots that can carry out this procedure on human beings, with assistance of neurosurgeons. While all of this sounds interesting, the current update is that the medical experts want to first leverage this technology to help patients who have brain related disorders, before using it to help humans perform wonders with their thoughts.
How does Neuralink work?
At the heart of Neuralink is the N1, a 4mm chip that is implanted into the skull. Attached to this chip are wires that are thinner than a single human hair, and these wires proceed to interact with the brain. These threads are placed close to important parts of the brain and are able to detect messages as they are relayed between neurons, recording each impulse and stimulating their own. Neuralink claims the N1 is able to connect with 1,000 different brain cells, and that a patient might have as many as 10 N1 chips implanted.
The chips connect wirelessly to a wearable device that hooks over the user’s ear, much like a hearing aid, and contains a Bluetooth radio and a battery.
Neuralink says the first devices will be implanted via traditional neurosurgery, but the endgame is to have robot surgeons perform this procedure with minimum invasion and as painless an experience as possible.
Is Neuralink being used today?
While there is no news of the first official Neuralink surgery for the aforementioned function, medical experts have done some research into how the same technology can be used to treat conditions like epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, and also paraplegia and quadriplegia following injuries to spinal nerves.
If you find this concept interesting, you can follow Neuralink’s progress on their website. Click here to head to their home page.
