After he provided an unusual update and disclosed plans to implant a second human patient within “the next week or so,” Elon Musk claimed that his brain implant company Neuralink will grant people “cybernetic superpowers” at some point in time and enable them to control robots with their minds, a futuristic projection for the company’s future steps.
In an early morning post on X, Elon Musk stated, “I think cybernetic superpowers are likely in the future.” He implied that amputees equipped with Neuralink’s brain-computer interface device could be able to operate prosthetic limbs quicker than before the amputation.
The billionaire’s tweet concluded a string of remarks regarding the potential uses of Neuralink, including the treatment of epilepsy and the complete cure of paralysis, which Musk had described as a “tough problem, but ultimately solvable.”
According to Musk, users will eventually be able to use Neuralink’s device to control Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot with their thoughts. The billionaire has previously stated that the device may go on sale as early as the end of next year and confidently projects that it will turn the electric carmaker into a $25 trillion business.
The futuristic forecasts followed a rare corporate update and overview from Musk and Neuralink executives in a live video clip uploaded on X.
Musk stated that Neuralink intended to surgically implant its experimental brain chip into a second human patient in “the next week or so,” even though they had hardware issues with their first patient, whose device separated from the brain a few weeks after surgery. He also stated that he hoped to have a “high single-digit” number of people testing the device by the end of the year.
In addition, Musk said that Neuralink is working on an enhanced device that may “double the bandwidth” provided by its current model. These measures include shaping the skull to improve the device’s seating position, putting threads deeper into the brain, and clearing out any air pockets left inside the skull following surgery.
Elon Musk’s projects: How accurate are they?
It is advisable to approach a few of Musk’s forecasts and updates with caution. The millionaire is well-known for making extraordinarily optimistic predictions about technology, humanity, and the businesses he controls.
In the past, Musk has been particularly irritated by timelines and more sophisticated applications of relatively new technologies, such as brain-computer interface implants, robotics, fully autonomous vehicles, or “robotaxis.” Although it is theoretically possible to control a robotic limb with superhuman speed or seize Optimus with thought, these scenarios are still far off, especially if they are used for enhancement rather than medical treatment. Likewise, Musk’s prediction that Neuralink will enable the fusion of humans and AI is plausible but when this will come to fruition remains to be seen.
Although Neuralink plans to market its technologies as “Telepathy” and “Blindsight,” even for more immediate uses such as curing paralysis, it’s important to keep in mind that Neuralink’s technology is being used in clinical trials that are closely monitored due to the technology being considered experimental.
Neuralink’s commercial release for even restricted usage as a medical device is probably years away, even if all goes according to plan during the trials. Experts reveal that updates are frequently selective, narrowly focused, and infrequently provided over Musk’s live streams and tweets, which makes it harder to evaluate how Neuralink’s technology is progressing and performing in the real world.
Things to be aware of
Neuralink’s brain chip, according to Musk, may be more potent and effective than its present model. If the threads are positioned correctly in the brain, the number of electrodes on each one will decrease from 16 to 8, doubling the number of threads introduced into the brain from 64 in the existing device to 128. This should increase efficiency. Musk did not specify when Neuralink intends to use the gadget or when it would be ready for human testing.
Crucial quote
Musk remarked, “What is surprising is that it functions at all,” Musk said of the human brain. Musk described the brain as a “biological computer” that “shrinks over time as we age.”
(Tashia Bernardus)