Elon Musk Unveils Neuralink's Brain Implant In Pigs: Expects To Cure Ailments

Tesla TSLA CEO Elon Musk presented his Neuralink venture at the headquarters in Fremont, California on Friday showing a live demo of the brain technology via livestream.

Musk revealed the V2 prototype of the automated surgical system - he introduced a group of pigs in the demo which had been implanted with mind-reading brain implants.

Musk has described the chip as being like a 'Fitbit' which is an activity tracker usually worn on the wrist. Musk said, "It's kind of like a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires."

During the demo Musk introduced one pig named Gertrude who was brought out into her pen and had a brain implant that’s 22.5 millimeters across and 8 millimeters thick. He explained the tones were sounded whenever the nerves in the pig's snout triggered electrical impulses that were picked up by her brain implant. 

The Company: Neuralink is a brain-machine interface aiming to integrate humans with artificial intelligence by surgically implanting processors into brains. The company has been developing a system of ultrathin electrodes that thread into the brain to read from or stimulate neurons. It is estimated that Musk himself has poured $100 million into the brain-computer interface research.

Benefits Of The Chip: Musk said there are a number of potential benefits to installing Neuralink in the brain, such as restoring eyesight, limb function and hearing, which are mainly cognitive benefits. Another reason for the presentation was to recruit new people to join Neuralink. Musk is expecting to expand from 100 employees to around 10,000.

Most importantly this revolutionary brain interface developed by Neuralink could also blur the lines between humanity and technology. Musk stressed Neuralink brain chip is still pending one of its important permits from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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