Industrialist Elon Musk unveiled his Neuralink “Link” brain implant on Friday, saying it could solve a range of neurological and spinal problems.
Musk unveiled the brain implant his company Neuralink has been working on for years, saying it could solve a variety of brain disorders, neurological problems and spinal injuries, ranging from memory loss to depression and blindness.
By contrast, the Link device Musk unveiled is about the size of a coin and fits flush against the person’s head, requiring a small bit of skull to be removed, and the electrodes extend down into the brain. Musk said it was like “a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires.”
He said the device has “all the features you’d expect in a smart watch,” including health monitoring. Like a smart watch or phone, the Link is charged inductively. The person it’s implanted into takes it out at night and charges it and have “full functionality” the next day.
Musk said the device can be installed by an outpatient procedure, but requires a “great robot” that can place the electrodes so precisely that they don’t strike blood vessels inside the brain.
The functioning of the device was demonstrated at the event using several pigs that have received the implants, but the company has not yet begun human trials, having received a US Food and Drug Administration “breakthrough device” designation in July.
Musk said one of the major remaining problems is preventing corrosion so the device can be used for decades.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
