[ad_1]
During the “show and tell” event, initially scheduled for October 31 but then moved without any precise reason to November 30, Elon Musk said that within six months the Neuralink chip could be implanted in the brain of a human being. There will therefore be a “postponement” compared to the initial programs which envisaged the start of human trials by the end of 2022.
“Before implanting a device in a human being, we want to be extremely careful and make sure it is working well. We have sent most of the necessary documentation to the Food and Drugs Administration (the US government agency that deals with the regulation of food and pharmaceutical products) and we think that in about six months we should be able to start the first tests”
Neuralink is a neurotechnology company founded in 2016 by a group of entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk. The main objective is to develop an interface to allow humans and machines to communicate directly thanks to a neural connection. One of the applications of this technology, for example, could allow people with disabilities or degenerative diseases to move and communicate again.
To date, Neuralink has conducted all of its testing on animals only, with a number of obvious criticisms, starting with pigs and continuing on to primates. Last year, we recall, a monkey was shown in public which, thanks to a chip implanted in its brain, was able to play a video game in a totally autonomous way. During today’s event, however, a monkey was shown that can move a mouse cursor using its mind.
While Neuralink is still working to get FDA approval for its implant, its rival Synchron is in a much more advanced stage having already obtained the green light to implant a device in humans. What happened last July with the installation of a chip in an ALS patient who should now be able to surf the web and send text messages by translating thoughts into commands.
In addition to showing the latest possible iterations with the device that Neuralink is developing, which will be wireless and rechargeable, one of the main objectives of today’s event, according to what Elon Musk said, who in these days is very busy solving the many problems of Twitter, was to recruit talent for Neuralink.
“Many times people think they can’t work at Neuralink because they don’t know anything about biology or how the brain works. What I want to emphasize today is that to do so you only need many of the skills needed to operate a smartwatch or a smartphone”
The inability to meet the set deadlines has certainly partially curbed Musk’s enthusiasm, which had even reached the point of thinking about an investment in its competitor Synchron. New investments have instead arrived in Neuralink and today Musk wanted to tell the world that he still believes in this company that will first have to wait for the FDA’s decision.
[ad_2]
Source link
