You can think what you want about Elon Musk, but he always succeeds in one thing: he makes headlines. His controversial Twitter takeover, his impressive Starship rockets, his autobiography – Musk always manages to get the world talking about him. What all the stories have in common is that in the public perception, Musk always oscillates between genius and madness. It’s no different with his latest supposed success story. His company has now inserted a chip into a human’s brain for the first time.
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What is Neuralink?
Elon Musk founded the company in 2016 together with seven researchers and engineers. Neuralink wants to create a communication path between computers and the human brain. The technology is called Brain Computer Interface (BCI). A brain chip should make it possible to read minds and thus control computers – without any hands.
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Neuralink implants brain chip in humans for the first time
According to Elon Musk, initial results showed promising detection of neuron spikes.
How does Neuralink’s implant work?
The chip is surgically inserted into the patient’s brain. A special robot connects the implant’s extremely fine electrodes directly to brain tissue. The chip is about the size of a one-euro coin and is powered by a lithium battery that can be charged wirelessly. It consists of a total of 1024 electrodes attached to very thin threads.
In the brain, Neuralink’s implant monitors the activities of thousands of neurons. The aim is for the chip to send concrete commands to end devices such as smartphones using the information collected about neural activity.
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What is Neuralink’s chip supposed to do?
Neuralink hopes to use a brain chip to treat complex neurological diseases: dementia, blindness, depression, Parkinson’s and schizophrenia, to name a few. Musk wrote on his Platform Telepathy should enable you to control a cell phone or computer with your thoughts. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could have communicated faster than a speed typist or auctioneer,” he wrote.
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Are there other companies also working on brain chips?
Yes, many scientists are researching BCIs. The company Blackrock Neurotech, for example, has been using a chip since 2016: the American Nathan Copeland had an implant implanted that is connected to sensors on his robot hand. Copeland was paralyzed after a car accident, but with the BCI he was able to feel Barack Obama’s handshake with his robotic hand as if it were his real hand.
The Australian company Synchron, in which billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates invest, among others, is also working on BCIs. Unlike many competitors, they do not operate on an open skull. Instead, the chip is transported to the brain through blood vessels.
Research is also being carried out on so-called brain spine interfaces (BSIs). They are intended to enable communication between the brain and the spine in people who are, for example, paraplegic. Researchers achieved a breakthrough with a BSI last year and enabled the patient Gert-Jam Oskam to walk naturally again. Oskam has been paralyzed since a bicycle accident. Two implants were inserted under the skull on the meninges and a pulse generator in the abdominal cavity. The implants communicate with the computer that Oskam carries in his backpack. The computer in turn signals the implanted impulse generator to move when this intention is detected in Oskam’s brain.
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Is Neuralink’s chip safe?
A chip that is inserted into the brain – it goes without saying that experts have concerns about such an operation. Every brain operation carries risks: from bleeding to permanent neurological damage that affects motor skills and the ability to speak.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was initially concerned that the lithium battery would fail and cause damage to the brain. The FDA also feared that the chip could not be removed in an emergency without damaging brain tissue. In 2022, the FDA rejected Neuralink’s first application for approval for human testing.
It is still completely unclear why the FDA finally changed its mind in May 2023. Since then, Musk’s company has been allowed to test the chip on willing people. Apparently Neuralink must have overcome a number of hurdles for the application to be approved.
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However, Neuralink’s previous animal testing raises questions. The company tested the chips on monkeys. The US magazine „Wired“ reported in September that some monkeys suffered major damage, such as cerebral edema and paralysis, from the tests. All monkeys were euthanized during the tests. This emerged from veterinary records and public documents.
US congressmen then called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch an investigation, which has not yet happened. Musk claimed the monkeys were terminally ill and did not die from the chip.
The tech billionaire will be aware of the fact that his research could quickly come to a standstill if test subjects are harmed by the chip. On X he wrotethat the patient who received the implant is doing well.
What’s next for Neuralink’s chip?
Whether Neuralink will be successful with its chip can only be judged in a few years at the earliest. The clinical study on the implant is designed to last six years. During this time, Neuralink will train the system with the test subject and most likely other study participants. Neuralink has so far been very reluctant to provide information about the technology and the approach to testing. However, if the company wants approval for commercial use, the results of the study – including the dangers and risks – must be scientifically assessed.