August 29 might possibly be remembered as the day when technology took over the limitations of human life. In one of the most appealing events of technological history, the tech entrepreneur Elon Musk presented a live demonstration of his brain hacking device LINK V0.9.
Supposedly, the device fits inside a human brain. A dedicated surgical bot is designed to do the job of inserting or replacing the skull tissue with this coin-shaped chip. Also, it is believed that if done in a guided manner, the incision would be smooth and the patient never bleeds.
He further proposes that the device could help treat and cure mental illness. This obviously would be pathbreaking and so has accounted for the fuss that we see in the industry today. While at one end people are intrigued by the concept, some worry that this device can hack the human mind.
Keeping this as the core of our discussion, we move ahead to know what exactly the device is, how will it benefit mankind. Without much ado, let's get started.
Neuralink: The Billion Dollar Startup
Neuralink, as the entrepreneur has named the startup, aims at implanting a coin-shaped chip in the human brain to send/receive signals. In other words, Neuralink is one of the neural engineering companies in the pursuit of leveraging technology in a way that amplifies human intelligence.
Imagine a paraplegic using his iPhone or navigating across the laptop screen without actually touching the touchpad. True the concept today seems to be far fetched, considering that human trials have not yet started. But Elon Musk is both passionate and positive about the technology.
What Musk Promises
Wondering what's in that small coin-shaped chip? Though we won't dive into the technical aspect of the chip that has 1024 electrodes with microscopic threats, we will definitely see the other half. And that being what can we expect out of the device, once it's out in the masses and in a successful way.
Alleviate Sufferings
Curing mental illness is one feat that the medical world is yet to unleash. Though the neuroscientists are doing their bit of study and research, Elon Musk's brain chip claims to be the pathbreaking revolution in the neuroscience subject. With the device embedded in the human brain, it is expected that human understanding would be accelerated, giving paraplegics the ease to control activities through their mind.
Decode The Functional Aspect of a Human Brain
Artificial intelligence has proven to create machines or bots that can emulate human behavior. Put simply, AI devices have the potential to learn and understand how a human brain works logically. With Neuralink, the concept is more intense and focuses on the functional part of the brain. The chip would strive to understand human intelligence in a functional manner. To know why a human behaves in a certain way and when he does what drives the ability to reason. Musk's chip might even answer where does the reasoning ability in a human brain resides.
Augmentation in Mind & Body
One of the promising applications of the AI-chip is the ability to restore
movements in paraplegics. A fascinating possibility of the brain chip as opined by the team of Neuralink is its ability to restore eyesight. They aim at stimulating the visual cortex so that blind people can regain the ability to see things again. Appealing, right?
movements in paraplegics. A fascinating possibility of the brain chip as opined by the team of Neuralink is its ability to restore eyesight. They aim at stimulating the visual cortex so that blind people can regain the ability to see things again. Appealing, right?
Challenge Virtual Reality
As of now, we all are aware of virtual reality technology, it's real-time
implementation, and the perks of having it. The BCI might be able to ride a
step higher, challenging the experience created by VR headsets. The chip is
expected to create an immersive experience that would stimulate the way humans feel, interact, and retort. Whether in everyday life activities or while playing a game, the Neuralink chip has tremendous potential to reimagine the virtual space.
implementation, and the perks of having it. The BCI might be able to ride a
step higher, challenging the experience created by VR headsets. The chip is
expected to create an immersive experience that would stimulate the way humans feel, interact, and retort. Whether in everyday life activities or while playing a game, the Neuralink chip has tremendous potential to reimagine the virtual space.
Is it really possible?
From retaining memory to regaining sight, Neuralink's AI-chip is no less than a sci-fi device with the ability to enhance one's potential. While the idea of linking human brains with digital computers has been in talks for a long time, it is only now that the concept sees the light of the day. But that's not all.
The startup today is surrounded by plenty of doubts and a series of speculations. Where a few people question the credibility of the device, as not much has been revealed in the demonstration, others wonder if the technology would live under the reign of Musk. To be precise, nothing can be said at the given point in time.
For us, its a wait and watch kind of scenario. So let's see how things unfold in the years to come.