This article is from the WeChat official account:Zaojiu (ID: xingshu100), Author: Zaojiu, Editor: Tian Xiaona, Title image from: Visual China
As early as early February this year, Elon Musk（Elon Musk）It was revealed in a Clubhouse chat room that Neuralink has successfully implanted its device into the brain of a monkey, enabling the animal to play video games using brainwaves.
He claimed that the monkey had a “wireless implant with fine wires attached to its skull,” that the monkey was “not in distress and did not look unusual,” and that “you couldn’t even see where the neural implant was.”
He stated that Neuralink would soon release video footage of the experiment.
Neuralink is a medical research company founded by Elon Musk in 2016, specializing in brain-computer interfaces (BCI), and has recruited renowned neuroscientists from multiple universities.
Neuralink’s goal is to use “neural lace” technology(Note: Implanting microelectrodes into the brain to enable direct computational capability)Develop a brain-computer interface to help restore various brain-related functions, including vision and limb mobility, address memory decline, and even plan to treat depression through brain chip implants.
However, the company's ultimate goal isFundamentally “upgrading” humans through technology to enable thought-based interaction with computer devices and achieve “symbiosis” with artificial intelligence。
Just yesterday, Neuralink released a video showing a monkey playing a Pong game via brainwaves, making its ambitious long-term goals appear truly feasible.
The monkey in the video, named Pager, is 9 years old. Approximately six weeks before this video was filmed, its left motor cortex(Controls movement on the right side of the body)and the right motor cortex(Controls movement on the left side of the body)Implanted with a Neuralink device.
The game it plays is a two-dimensional sports simulation of table tennis, in which players hit the ball by vertically moving paddles on either the left or right side of the screen. Because Pager plays the game using brainwaves, Musk has also referred to it as “Mind-Controlled Table Tennis”（Mind Pong）。
Initially, to teach Pager how to use a joystick to play video games, staff would deliver banana milkshakes as rewards through metal straws. In the video, Pager is seen using the joystick to maneuver a small ball into colored squares within the game.
Meanwhile, the Neuralink device records which neurons in Pager’s brain are firing as he uses a joystick to play games, and then decodes the signals via computer.Record these brain signals to predict the trajectory of the monkey's ball movement and its hand movements through machine learning.。
By modeling the relationship between different patterns of neural activity in the motor cortex and intended movement directions, Neuralink can predict the direction and speed of impending or intended movements, using these predictions to control computer cursor motion in real time, or—as demonstrated in the video—to control paddle movement.
Subsequently, the joystick was removed, and Pager continued playing the game using only his thoughts, without the joystick.
For example,When the monkey’s brain intends to move the paddle upward, neurons tuned to the upward direction significantly increase their firing rate; conversely, when the monkey intends to move the paddle downward, neurons tuned to the downward direction increase their firing rate.。
Spatial Patterns of Electrode Orientation Adjustments for the Pager Brain Implant During 2D Gaming
Musk also shared more news about Neuralink on Twitter, stating: “Neuralink’s First Product Enables Paralyzed Patients to Control Smartphones via Thought, Outpacing Finger-Based Input。”
He also stated that future versions of Neuralink will be able to route Neuralink signals from the brain to neural clusters of motor/sensory neurons in the body, enabling patients with paralysis to walk again.
Musk believes that,In the Age of Artificial Intelligence, We Must Become “Cyborgs”(Note: A system for the integration of humans and electronic machinery), so as not to become a useless person. And to continue to be valuable to the economy, “the integration of biological intelligence and machine intelligence” is essential.
Along the way, Neuralink has made significant progress.
On July 16, 2019, during its inaugural public unveiling in San Francisco, Neuralink introduced the “N1,” a remarkable chip that enables patients to control smartphones or computers using their thoughts.
The N1 is a 4 x 4 mm square chip featuring 1,024 electrodes, each with a thickness of 5 micrometers, which is 95 micrometers thinner than a human hair. Neuralink plans to implant four N1 chips into the cerebral cortex: one in the somatosensory cortex and three in the motor areas.
The company has also designed a surgical robot that canImplanting wires and chips into the brain through a 2-millimeter incision, taking less than an hour. These chips can be connected to a battery behind the ear via induction coils to power the system.
This is just the beginning.
A year later, Musk unveiled a pig named Gertrude, with its brain implanted withCoin-sized computer chip, signals from the brain regions connected to the nose are recorded and transmitted to a mobile phone via low-power Bluetooth technology.
Compared to the first generation, the design of the Neuralink device has changed to a coin-shaped form, making it less noticeable in appearance.
Moreover, the new version of the device is completely wireless and uses inductive charging, reducing the risk of infection.
Comparison of the Two Versions
From Gertrude the pig to Pager the monkey, Neuralink’s design has undergone further changes, with no visible abnormalities apparent from the outside.
Further details remain to be revealed.
Currently, Neuralink is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration（FDA）contact will be made, and if all goes well, preliminary human trials will be conducted later this year.
Nevertheless, many doubts remain regarding the safety of Neuralink.
Furthermore, the human body generates a rejection response after electrodes are implanted into the brain,The signal quality of the brain will undergo a rapid decay.. Although some new materials can partially address these issues, they cannot guarantee that the signal will remain accurate over time.
Neuralink Invasive Brain-Computer Interface
Neuralink also acknowledges that there are many issues that urgently need to be addressed.
For example, to optimize the biocompatibility of chip wires with surrounding tissues, they should match the size scale of nearby neurons, resist corrosion from tissue fluids, and possess sufficient surface area to enable stimulation.
For another example, since neural signals in the brain are at the microvolt level, the chip must have high-performance signal amplifiers and digitizers. Moreover, as the number of electrodes increases, the amount of information converted from these raw digital signals becomes too large to be uploaded via low-power devices.
Nevertheless, Elon Musk remains firmly convinced that Neuralink’s potential is virtually limitless, offering benefits not only to individuals with physical disabilities but also the possibility of human enhancement for those who are healthy.
“Our vision is to understand and treat brain disorders, protect and enhance your brain, and create a harmonious future.”
Uncontrolled and unregulated advanced artificial intelligence poses a significant threat to human survival, with humanity facing the risk of being surpassed by AI machines; however, tighter and higher-fidelity integration between humans and computers can help mitigate the risk of advanced artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence.
As he stated on Twitter, “"If you can't beat them, join them"。”
This article is from the WeChat official account:Zaojiu (ID: xingshu100), Author: Zaojiu