Elon Musk said Wednesday that his Neuralink startup is “moving” toward a second test patient as its technology for connecting the brain and computer improves.
Musk and members of the Neuralink team answered questions during an update broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), discussing where they are on the path to making their brain implants commonplace.
“We’re on our way to our second Neuralink patient right now,” Musk said. “But we expect that number to be in the high single digits this year if all goes well.”
Musk’s neurotechnology company installed a brain implant in Noland Arbaugh in January, which the billionaire head of Tesla and X2 described as a success.
Arbaugh was paralyzed from the shoulders down after a diving accident eight years ago.
Since the transplant operation, he has reported playing chess and the video game “Civilization”, as well as learning Japanese and French by controlling a computer screen cursor with his mind.
Musk and members of the Neuralink team detailed a solution to an issue that had greatly impaired Arbaugh’s ability to move a computer cursor with his mind.
Neuralink’s technology works through a device the size of five coins, which is placed inside the human brain by a robotic surgeon.
The threads connecting Arbog’s brain to the implant had “retracted”, reducing their effectiveness in picking up signals.
According to the Neuralink team, the thread will be implanted at greater depths in the brain, and precision will be increased to maximize effectiveness.
Musk promised that “things will only get better from here.”
According to Musk, one of its goals is to increase the bandwidth of the link between the brain and the computer, allowing more data to be transferred faster.
“It’s extremely important for the human-AI symbiosis to be able to communicate at a speed that the AI can follow,” Musk said about connecting the brain to computers via artificial intelligence.
Musk believes Neuralink implants will go beyond restoring sight to the blind to giving people infrared or ultraviolet vision or allowing them to share thoughts with others telepathically.
“We want to give people superpowers,” Musk said. “Not only are we restoring your previous functionality, but your functionality is actually much greater than a normal human being.”
Musk spoke of developing an automated process in which Neuralink’s surgery robot could quickly install custom implants in people seeking an “upgrade.”
Musk said of the idea, “If you play these games it’s just like ‘Cyberpunk’ or ‘Deus Ex.'”
“An exciting possibility in the long-term is to connect parts of the Optimus anthropomorphic robot with Neuralink – essentially giving you cybernetic superpowers,” he added.
Musk co-founded Neuralink in 2016.
The ambition is to enhance human capabilities, cure neurological disorders such as ALS or Parkinson’s, and perhaps one day establish a symbiotic relationship between humans and AI.
Musk isn’t the only one trying to make progress in this field, officially known as brain-machine or brain-computer interface research.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
