Would you install an implant in your brain that allows you to mentally communicate with technology?
Key Details
- Neuralink plans to debut its long-awaited brain-computer interface technology.
- The company was founded in 2016 with the goal of developing technology that will allow the human brain to interface with computer technology.
- Neuralink announced on Wednesday night that it is within six months of implanting coin-sized inferences wired into the human brain.
Why it’s News
Neuralink’s brain-computer interface could be one of the most innovative technologies in human history, allowing for a closer connection between humanity and technology than ever before. The technology also has the potential to be used to restore movement in a paralyzed individual or restore lost eyesight.
Non-human trials on primates have shown the technology is able to successfully translate brain patterns into text.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been discussing the future of the technology with Neuralink and the company is optimistic that the government will permit human trials soon.
“Neuralink has been refining the product, which consists of a tiny device and electrode-laced wires, along with a robot that carves out a piece of a person’s skull and implants it into the brain,” says Bloomberg.
The Problem
There are major concerns with the technology. The implant would require invasive brain surgery and the implications of merging the human mind with technology raise ethical and philosophical questions.
Other scientists have accused Neuralink of making too many promises with the potential of the technology and overstating what it is capable of since many of the technologies it uses are already in use in academic settings.
The company continues to forge ahead confidently though, believing that mass adoption of the technology and physical augmentation hold a key to humanity’s future.
Notable Quote
“We are now confident that the Neuralink device is ready for humans, so timing is a function of working through the FDA approval process,” says company founder Elon Musk.
