Besides famous ventures like Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk also owns a company called Neuralink.
In the immediate future, these chips are intended to research and treat neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s.
But those short-term applications are not enough to satisfy Musk.
On August 28, Musk livestreamed the launch of a working Neuralink device implanted in the brain of a pig named Gertrude.
The Neuralink device transmits live data as Gertrude sniffs her surroundings.
Professor of neurology Andrew Jackson from Newcastle University, who has experience in implanting neural interfaces in animals, was amazed by this chip.
Previously, the best commercial products available for wireless animal testing recorded only about 100 channels, while Neuralink’s device has increased that number to 1,000.
Jackson said getting the Neuralink device in a small package into the skull is a big step in itself.
The professor said that currently, many nerve implants tested in animals still leave the wires through the skin, and the wireless link is completely under the skin, which will help reduce the risk of infection.
`Even if the technology doesn’t do anything more than we can do now – in terms of number of channels, or any other aspect – in terms of animal welfare, I think it would be better if
Jackson added: `Neuralink has considered the ethics of animal experimentation. I think it’s good that they at least recognized it’s important that these animals are well cared for.`
The animal testing process will have to last several years to make sure the device does not `degenerate` to become toxic and will work forever.
`Everything you put into your body gradually becomes covered by scar tissue. As scar tissue clogs these devices, it becomes increasingly difficult to listen to their signals. That process can take days to days.`
During the introduction, Musk said they had been implanting Neuralink in Gertrude’s brain for two months.
For neuroscientists like Jackson, that’s nothing new.
Jackson was more concerned about Musk’s claim that one day this technology could be combined with AI to enhance human cognition: `That’s unthinkable, moreover, I think the basis
Despite his rhetoric about merging human and computer consciousness, Jackson appears excited about the prospect of Neuralink being widely used in animal testing.
`I hope they go in that direction and make this technology widely available in animal experiments, in addition to the goal they are pursuing – use in humans,` he said.
