(ORDO NEWS) — Elon Musk has said that the Neuralink brain chip will be ready for human use and could begin human trials as soon as it receives approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Musk made a number of bold claims about the potential of the device. Speaking about the capabilities of the device, Musk said the overall goal was to create a “holistic brain interface” that could interact with “every aspect of your brain.”
Neuralink vice president and co-founder DJ Seo explained that the “N1 implants” are roughly a quarter-inch in size, have “more than 1,000 channels capable of recording and stimulating,” and that devices can be charged wirelessly, as demonstrated by a monkey trained to use a charger. station.
The presentation featured a video showing a monkey using a device to move a cursor on a screen.
Musk said that in the future, the devices could be used to restore sight to blind people and give people with spinal cord injuries “full body functionality.” However, experts in the field are skeptical of these claims given the current state of the industry.
As for claims that the device will soon undergo human trials, The Verge notes that Musk has previously said he wants to conduct human trials in 2020 and then in 2022. However, Musk claims that the devices were so small and discrete:
“I could implant a Neuralink device right now and you wouldn’t even know,” adding, presumably in jest, “in one of these demos, I’ll do it.”
People were skeptical that the chips were ready for use on humans. Earlier this year, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) accused Elon Musk of cruelty to animals.
The committee claims that a number of documents they have received show the company engaged in “highly invasive, often lethal experiments” on macaques.
“Hundreds of pages of veterinary and surgical records showed that the monkeys suffered from infections, seizures and loss of motor function after Neuralink employees removed parts of the animals’ skulls, screwed ‘pill boxes’ to their heads and implanted devices in their brains,” she said. organization.
In response, Neuralink stated that it “met and continues to meet federal standards” and said reports of abuse were “misleading”.
The search for human volunteers may soon begin.
“We are now confident that the Neuralink device is ready for humans,” Musk added on Twitter after the presentation was completed. “So the timing is subject to passing the FDA approval process.”
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