Neuralink is a ground-breaking project in the realms of neuroscience and technological innovation. Aiming to revolutionize the interface between the human brain and the digital brain, Neuralink progresses further with its mission — to develop an implantable brain-machine interface (BMI). Founded by Elon Musk in 2016, Neuralink has come a long way in advancing its BMI technology and prowess.
It was announced that the primary objective is to develop a device that treats serious brain diseases in the short term, with the eventual goal of advancing toward transhumanism. Elon Musk described it as “We put a chip in your brain to control your mind” in a recent interview. Musk believes that this implantable chip can control how neurons fire and how they connect with each other, and on a large enough scale, it could do things like give blind people the ability to see, restore functionality in people that have lost brain-body connection (paralysis), and give anybody the ability to control a computer with their mind. He states “Ultimately the goal is to achieve a symbiosis between our biological and digital mind.
On January 29th, 2024, It was announced that the first-ever implantation of Neuralink in a human was successful. Noland Arbaugh — a complete quadriplegic — is the first person with the Neuralink implant. In a live stream on X, Noland Arbaugh moved the computer cursor without any physical tools, completely with his mind. “It’s all being done with my brain. You can see the cursor moving around the screen, that’s all me.” He explains.
However, Neuralink’s ambitions have also raised ethical concerns. During the testing periods of development, they received shame for their animal testing processes, and this has been quite a topic of debate among ethicists and animal rights activists.
Ultimately, the vision of Neuralink represents a crucial moment in human history, breaking boundaries between humans and machines. Its technology has the potential to redefine transhumanism and carries great prospects.
– Anushka Jain
Sources:
- https://neuralink.com/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmqSYgM8QHc
- https://twitter.com/ModdedQuad/status/1771298116719002100?s=20
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVnuh-OIqjw
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