Elon Musk shared some updates about the brain-computer interface company Neuralink, including the company is still expected to conduct human trials by the end of 2022.
Last February, Musk said Neuralink was working “super hard” to make its brain implants safe. He also said that Neuralink is in close communication with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin preliminary human trials later that year.
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However, 2021 has passed, and Neuralink has not conducted human trials. Earlier this year, Neuralink opened the positions of clinical trials director and clinical trial coordinator, signaling that the company is closer to human trials of its device.
Recently, Musk pointed out that Neuralink may be able to solve the problem of morbid obesity. Musk first mentioned the topic in his TED interview with Chris Anderson. He told Anderson that Neuralink will focus on addressing brain and spinal injuries over the next decade.
“We’re trying to bridge the broken link between the brain and the body,” Elon Musk said in response to a Teslarati article. “The neural chains of motor and sensory cortex go through weak/broken links in neck/spine, theory it should be able to restore the function of the whole body.”
Musk also told Anderson that Neuralink devices could address health conditions such as morbid obesity in the long run. Professor Andrew Jackson of Newcastle University, who is also an expert in neural interfaces, pointed out that Musk’s claims about Neuralink are possible. In particular, Jackson noted that the Neuralink implant is less invasive than other treatments for morbid obesity.
Moreover, Musk listed Neuralink’s main mission priorities to reach its current goals. He pointed to an “electronic/mechanical/software engineering problem” with Neuralink’s implants, which he compared to the complexity of smartwatches, which he admitted wasn’t easy. Musk invited anyone with smartwatch or phone engineering and manufacturing experience to join Neuralink because their skills were “directly applicable.”
The Tesla CEO also stressed that Neuralink is developing its surgical robot, which is critical for connecting implants to the brain. Musk noted that the surgical robot is comparable to state-of-the-art computer numerical control (CNC).
According to a 2021 Neuralink video, the company’s brain implant consists of a “small ball” containing “secret active electronics” and flexible electrodes that is about 50 micrometers wide, 5 micrometers thick, and has a length of 20 mm. The electrodes attached to the puck are often referred to in the video as “threads,” or compared to strands of hair. Electrodes are very fragile.
