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Elon Musk, CEO of brain-computer interface company Neuralink, stated that the company’s first brain implant will enable paralyzed patients to use smartphones via thought control, with speeds surpassing those achieved by some able-bodied individuals using their fingers.
Elon Musk disclosed the news in a series of tweets on Twitter. Musk stated that this brain-computer interface device is “implanted into the skull and can be wirelessly charged, so it feels no different after implantation.”
He stated that future Neuralink brain-computer interface devices could enable paraplegic patients to walk again.
Musk also posted a photo on Twitter of a monkey playing the classic video game "Pong" with its mind.
Elon Musk stated in a reply to another Twitter user that human trials of Neuralink's brain-computer interface device will begin later this year.
He also stated that even individuals without paralysis could apply to have the device implanted, enabling them to play video games using their thoughts.
Elon Musk stated that Neuralink’s brain-computer interface (BCI) device could ultimately be used to “preserve” human thoughts, thereby allowing deceased individuals to live on in another person’s body or in a robotic body. Last August, Neuralink demonstrated this BCI device in three pigs, showcasing how the implanted device could detect changes in neural signals in real time.
Elon Musk stated in the same month that Tesla owners could summon their cars using Neuralink’s brain-computer interface device through thought alone. (Chen Chen)
Related Reading: Musk Enables Monkeys to Play Games with Their Minds, with the Ultimate Goal of Telepathic Thought Transmission
Monkeys Control Video Games with Their Minds: Musk’s Brain-Computer Interface Company, Neuralink, Achieves New Breakthrough. This Makes It Possible for Humans to Freely Transmit Thoughts to Each Other via Telepathy in the Future.
In a 3-minute and 27-second YouTube video, a macaque named Pager appears to have demonstrated the ability to control a computer through brain activity, without using its hands to manipulate a joystick.
Approximately six weeks ago, researchers implanted Neuralink devices into both hemispheres of the brain of a 9-year-old macaque monkey. By inserting 2,000 fine threads into the monkey’s cortical regions, they recorded neuronal activity during the monkey’s interaction with a computer.
Elon Musk described this brain-computer interface chip device as a Fitbit in the skull. The chip is connected to the brain via tiny metal wires, and these electrodes are used to record and decode electrical signals from the brain, which can coordinate hand and arm movements.
In the initial experiments, Pager was trained to use a joystick, moving it up and down with his hand to play the computer game Mind Pong (a game similar to Pong). Researchers input the neuronal activity data recorded while the monkey manipulated the joystick into a “decoder algorithm” to observe and predict the monkey’s hand movements in real time.
Neuralink stated that after the decoder completed the calibration for decoding the monkey’s neuronal activity, they removed the joystick. The monkey was then able to move the cursor to its desired location and complete the computer-based brain-computer interface game solely through thought, without relying on the joystick.
Last August, Neuralink conducted a live demonstration of mind-control technology on three pigs, showcasing real-time monitoring of neural signals in the brain of one pig named Gertrude. In a Clubhouse chat this January, Musk revealed that Neuralink had already connected a monkey’s brain to a computer chip, with the expectation that monkeys will eventually be able to play video games using only their thoughts.
From pigs to monkeys, although brain-computer interface technology is still in its early stages, Neuralink hopes that its devices will soon enable paralyzed humans to operate machines with their thoughts. For instance, the devices could be implanted in quadriplegic patients suffering from brain or spinal cord injuries, allowing them to “control a computer mouse, mobile phone, or any device simply by thinking.”
Musk stated, “The first Neuralink product will enable paralyzed individuals to control smartphones with their thoughts, operating them faster than people can using their thumbs.”
However, in the long run, Neuralink’s ultimate goal is to increase the speed at which information flows from the human brain to machines. Musk claims that Neuralink will enable humans to transmit their thoughts to one another freely via telepathy, without relying on text or speech, and that these “thoughts” can persist in a “preserved state” after death, allowing them to be uploaded into robots or other humans.
Elon Musk believes that with the existence of smartphones, computers, and applications, people are already "cyborgs" because they possess a digital "tertiary layer." He stated, "Through brain-computer interfaces, we can increase the bandwidth between the cerebral cortex and the digital 'tertiary layer' by several orders of magnitude, potentially achieving at least a 1,000-fold or 10,000-fold improvement."
The human cerebral cortex plays a critical role in memory, attention, subconscious processing, thought, language, and consciousness. The “digital layer” referred to by Musk could be anyone’s iPhone or their Twitter account. However, he acknowledges that this idea sounds highly “science fiction.”
The development of Neuralink has also sparked a research boom in China in the field of brain-computer interfaces. Last October, a research team led by Dr. Tao Hu from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborated with the Department of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital to implant an ultra-thin, ultra-flexible, high-throughput neural signal acquisition chip—nearly imperceptible to neurons—into the cranium of mice. When the mice moved or ate, computers directly connected to the neural signal processing interface circuits reflected changes in their electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in real time. The project was funded by the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (TCCI).
Although the underlying principle is similar to that of Neuralink, the Chinese research team employed independently developed, original flexible silk fibroin electrodes. Tao Hu previously stated in an interview that this biomimetic material has matched or even partially surpassed Neuralink in key technical areas such as implantation-induced trauma and long-term in vivo safety.
Yicai reporters have learned that China’s brain-computer interface (BCI) projects are currently seeking ethical approval, after which human clinical trials will commence. Tao Hu previously told Yicai reporters that he expects China to begin human BCI trials sooner than Elon Musk’s Neuralink project.
Video Released by Musk’s Company: How Monkeys Play Video Games with Their Minds, Having a Blast
April 9 News: Neuralink, the brain-computer interface company under Elon Musk, released a new video showing Pager, a nine-year-old macaque with an implanted chip in its brain, playing computer games using only its thoughts. This video indicates that Neuralink has made significant progress in its research since its update event in 2020.
Six weeks ago, Neuralink staff implanted their chip into Peg’s brain. Peg was taught to play games using a joystick; when it performed well, the staff rewarded it with a banana milkshake.
Via the Neuralink app connected to the chip through Bluetooth, staff monitored Peg’s brain activity. Data collected from the chip was recorded and processed through decoding algorithms, then used to predict neural activity patterns associated with Peg’s joystick movements.
In other words, when Peg used the joystick to perform specific actions to control the computer mouse, the decoder was employed to identify which parts of his brain were active. After calibration, the output of the decoder was used to move the cursor in the game, replacing the joystick.
The video shows that Peg gradually became accustomed to playing games without a joystick. After practice, it seems to have mastered the trick of controlling the mouse with its thoughts. Neuralink stated on its company website that its application will be improved to guide future users, helping them control devices with their thoughts like Peg.
Neuralink’s video demonstrates that the company has made significant progress toward achieving its goals. In February, Musk hinted at hopes to commence human trials by the end of 2021. He stated that Neuralink was nearly ready to begin negotiations with the FDA.
As early as July 2019, Musk stated that monkeys were already able to control computers using their brains and Neuralink implants. Last year, we witnessed a demonstration of Neuralink’s technology in pigs.
In his latest tweet, Musk stated that Neuralink might enable paralyzed individuals to post tweets at a faster speed than even using thumbs on a smartphone. He subsequently added that the next goal is to transmit Neuralink signals from the brain to Neuralink implants in the somatic nerve plexus, “thereby allowing paraplegic patients to walk again.”
For Neuralink, this is just the beginning. At the end of the video, Neuralink invites more people to join its team. The company stated, “We still face challenges in many areas of engineering, so if you excel at solving complex problems and want to change people’s lives, we would welcome your input—even if you have never previously worked in anything related to the brain.”