Neuralink
Remember Doctor Who’s Cybermen? Now imagine the same species but with human feelings and emotions and a comparatively less painful transformation process. What if we were able to put computer chips in our brains and alter our brain’s neural network? What if we were able to turn ourselves into Matilda?! Be able to control digital processes with just a thought? Or as Musk says, put a “Fitbit in your skull.”
Founded in July 2016 by Elon Musk — “Neuralink” aims to turn brain signals into digital signals which can be used to directly communicate with external computers. The company proclaims that the brain implant is designed to help paralyzed patients move and communicate again, and may eventually restore vision. In April 2021 Musk claimed that the “First @Neuralink product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs.” It also states that the device will eventually be able to restore the neural activity in the body and allow disabled patients with spinal cord injuries to move their limbs.
Neurons are the cells that send and receive information from the various parts of the body. They are connected with the help of synapses which is the junction between the axon and the dendrite. These neurons communicate with the help of various neurotransmitters and electric signals. Furthermore, these electrical signals of the brain are recorded with the help of electrodes and analyzed to decode the underlying information carried by those neural cells.
Neuralink aims to design an implantable and cosmetically invisible brain-computer interface that allows you to control a mobile or a computer anywhere you go.
The “Link” is a sealed, implanted device that processes and transmits neural signals. These Links have neural threads with many electrodes to detect neural signals. It also comes with a small wireless charger that can be used externally. The company is trying to design robotic systems to insert these fine devices into the brain precisely where the neurosurgeon needs them to be. It is even designing an app that lets you control your keyboard or mouse just by thinking about it.
“We will not be able to be smarter than a digital supercomputer, so, therefore, if you cannot beat ’em, join ‘em,” says Musk. He also makes claims that it will be able to “save and replay memories” like in “Black Mirror,” or telepathically summon their car.
Though Elon Musk has stated for a few consecutive years that the product is ready to be tested on human beings he hasn’t been able to get permission from the FDA to test it on human subjects. He also said that Neuralink could “solve a lot of brain-related diseases,” and named autism and schizophrenia as examples.
Though the development of Neuralink may prove to be a beneficial advancement in the domain of neuroscience and computers it also comes with equal amounts of ethical issues. Being able to access brain waves may be a major privacy concern for many. The current generation is already addicted to all the electronic devices available to them, and having a computer implanted within the brain itself raises the concern of further addiction. Furthermore, to test this device many animals have been slaughtered in the name of science. Thus, even though this might be a significant advancement in technology it comes with a huge price to pay.
