Elon Musk to reveal more about brain-computer tech startup Neuralink this week, may announce human trials

New Delhi: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is all set to reveal a key update on his most secretive brain-computer interface technology startup Neuralink this week.

Musk may also announce human trials for the technology that has been successful on mice and even apes, an IANS report has said.

"If you can't beat em, join em – Neuralink's mission statement," Musk had tweeted on July 9 without divulging much details. "Progress update August 28, " he added.

If you can’t beat em, join em
Neuralink mission statement — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2020

Later, on July 30, he gave further hints via some more tweets:

Will show neurons firing in real-time on August 28th. The matrix in the matrix. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2020

To help paralysed people control devices and empower people with brain disorders, Neuralink last year unveiled tiny brain "threads" in a chip which is long lasting, usable at home and has the potential to replace cumbersome devices currently used as brain-machine interfaces.

"The profound impact of high bandwidth, high precision neural interfaces is underappreciated. Neuralink may have this in a human as soon as this year," Musk had tweeted in February this year.

The profound impact of high bandwidth, high precision neural interfaces is underappreciated. Neuralink may have this in a human as soon as this year. Just needs to be unequivocally better than Utah Array, which is already in some humans & has severe drawbacks. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2020

"This has the potential to solve several brain-related diseases. The idea is to understand and treat brain disorders, preserve and enhance your own brain and create a well-aligned future," Musk told the audience at the launch event last year.

The technology has a module that sits outside the head, behind the ear, and receives information from "threads" embedded in the brain.

Controlled by an iPhone app, the chip called "N1 sensor" with just a USB port coming out can have as many as 3,072 electrodes per array distributed across 96 "threads" -- each "thread" smaller than the tiniest human hair.

The chip which will be wireless in the future can read, transmit high-volume data and amplify signals from the brain.

Founded as a medical research company in 2016, Neuralink has hired several high-profile neuroscientists from various universities.

The company is focused on creating devices resembling tiny sewing machines that can be implanted in the human brain -- to improve memory or more direct interfacing with computing devices.

With IANS Inputs