According to a recent report by Ashlee Vance, one of Elon Musk’s biographers, thousands of individuals have expressed a keen interest in receiving Neuralink’s brain implants. Neuralink, a company co-founded by Musk in 2016, is on the brink of conducting human trials for its groundbreaking device.
Despite facing initial setbacks, including safety concerns from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company has made significant strides in its mission to create a symbiotic relationship between humans and machines.
Musk’s vision for Neuralink’s brain implant has been described as a “Fitbit in your skull.” The FDA initially rejected Neuralink’s request for human trials due to concerns about potential risks such as the wires connected to the brain chip shifting within the user’s head or the chip overheating. However, the FDA later approved human trials, marking a significant milestone for the company.
In September, Neuralink began recruiting participants for its first human trial. The company sought individuals with paralysis in all four limbs due to conditions like spinal cord injuries or ALS. Ultimately, Neuralink aims to develop a device that enables users to send messages or play games using only their thoughts, offering hope to people with neurological disorders.
Despite the overwhelming interest from potential patients, Vance’s report highlights that Neuralink is still searching for its first volunteer. This individual must be willing to undergo a craniectomy, a surgical procedure in which a portion of their skull is removed by a surgeon to allow a large robot to insert a series of electrodes and ultra-thin wires into their brain. The process takes only a couple of hours for the surgeon to perform the craniectomy, followed by approximately 25 minutes for the robot to insert the device. The ultra-thin threads are about 1/14 the width of a single strand of human hair.
To date, Neuralink has successfully conducted 155 implantation surgeries using a robot on various animal test subjects, including pigs and monkeys. Musk, known for his ambitious goals, is determined to expedite the process further and hopes to eventually perform the surgery without human assistance.
In a bid to stay competitive in the emerging field of brain-computer interfaces, Musk has emphasized the need for speed and efficiency. He cited the progress of other brain-computer startups, like Synchron and Onward, which have already commenced human trials and achieved significant milestones. Musk has urged Neuralink to maintain a sense of urgency to keep up with the ever-advancing field of artificial intelligence, as well as the potential challenges posed by unfriendly AI.
However, despite Musk’s fervour for rapid progress, Shivon Zilis, Neuralink’s director of special projects, has taken a more cautious stance, emphasizing the need for careful planning to avoid early setbacks. “We can’t blow up the first three. That’s not an option here,” Zilis noted, drawing a parallel to SpaceX’s early rocket failures.
As the excitement surrounding Neuralink’s innovative brain implants continues to grow, the world eagerly awaits the company’s first successful human trial, which may mark a significant step toward realizing Musk’s vision of a harmonious partnership between humans and technology.
