Elon Musk plans brain implants that connect people with AI

Elon Musk plans brain implants that connect people with AI

Silicon Valley, July 27, 2020

In the past, the term human brain-machine interface (BMI) was limited to science fiction. Last week, Twitter announced that a Neuralink mission statement would be released on August 28.
The technology to make such BMIs a reality may not be that far away, because Neuralink, a company co-founded by Elon Musk, develops next-generation brain-machine interfaces with scalable real-time neural data processing.
The N1 was launched at the Neuralink Launch Event in 2019. It is a hermetically sealed SoC with 1,024 channels in a 4 mm x 5 mm housing, which processes 200 Mbit / s data per channel with only 6.6 microwatts of power. System-on-a-chip means the integration of all or a large part of the functions of a programmable electronic system on one chip.
N 1 is able to compress neurological data up to 200 times. The chipset is embedded in the skull and connected to ultra-thin filaments called „threads“ that contain 32 gold electrodes per thread. The electrodes are less than 60 microns from their target neuron. They are integrated by a specially made robot.
The N1 is connected subdermally (visibly implanted in the skin) with an induction loop, which is surgically embedded in the skin behind the ear. A portable device called „Link“ provides power and Bluetooth connectivity to the SoC. It receives signal-related neuron impulses, so-called „action potentials“, as well as the direct stimulation of neurons.
Neuralink is currently in a lengthy process of FDA approval. This process includes a wide range of classifications for neurology, toxicology and immunology. The company hopes to start clinical trials by 2021 at the latest.
Musk sees the BMIs as an interface between neurology and technology. He believes the potential for treatment is endless. In an interview with Joe Rogen in May 2020, Musk said about the future capabilities of the Neuralink implant: „In principle, it [a Neuralink device] could fix anything that is wrong with the brain.“

The basis for this article was the following article:
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/behind-elon-musks-neuralink-company-developing-brain-machine-interfaces/
Additional and additional contributions:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/16/20697123/elon-musk-neuralink-brain-reading-thread-robot

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/elon-musk-neuralink-science

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musks-secretive-brain-tech-company-debuts-a-sophisticated-neural-implant1/