Installing Computer Chips into One's Brain is now a reality - Yes, just ask Elon!

[JohnS]

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the weekly premise on TV that they could rebuild Steve Austin for $6 million. Plus the sound effects were simply awesome, weren't they?

Well, today that same amount will set you back over $US40 million. Even when I was younger I inherently understood that rebuilding Steve was costly. But never in my lifetime did I think that implanting a computer chip into a human's brain would happen, when I was a child that is.

Well, this week the one and only Elon Musk announced that his company Neuralink implanted a brain chip in a human in a preliminary clinical study. I mean can you imagine such a thing?

Where are we headed with this? Is this a 'game-changer' as has been spruiked, or are we awaiting the possibility of been remotely hacked? Can you imagine that scenario?

Danger, danger anyone? (Proceed with extreme caution, perhaps?)

[JohnS]

Some articles below citing this news event...

How Implanted Brain Chips Like Neuralink Could Change Our Lives

Neuralink logo displayed on a phone screen, a silhouette of a paper in shape of a human face and a binary code displayed on a screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on December 10, 2021. Photo by Jakub Porzycki/Getty Images

By Simmone Shah

January 30, 2024

Elon Musk announced on Monday that the first human has received a brain implant through his Neuralink startup—marking a new step forward for the company and its goal to connect the human brain to computers. 

“The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well,” Musk announced in a post on X on Monday evening. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”

Neuralink’s current trial, named the The PRIME Study, is aimed at providing individuals with quadriplegia the ability to control external devices with their thoughts. Experts in the field say that the technology, known as brain-computer interface (BCI), has a wide range of potential applications—particularly for those with disabilities.

“I think, at least in the immediate future, it's going to potentially revolutionize the way people with sensory or motor deficits might be able to interact with the environment and live more independently,” says Xing Chen, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at The University of Pittsburgh, whose work focuses on BCIs. 

Controlling technology with your mind

BCIs have already demonstrated the ability to help individuals to control technology with their thoughts—allowing paralyzed patients to control a robotic arm or move a cursor. One recent trial even allowed a person to control a video game with their mind, says Anne Vanhoestenberghe, Professor of Active Implantable Medical Devices at Kings College, London.

“The person is trained and the system is trained and the two work together,” says Vanhoestenberghe. “These repeatable patterns are being associated with actions such as opening an app, clicking, maybe moving a cursor up and down.” 

Mood regulation

Musk has long maintained that Neuralink could be used to help individuals regulate their mood and hormones, a possibility well within the potential capabilities researchers envision for BCI technology, Chen says. It’s a breakthrough that could be of particular use for those with OCD or treatment-resistant depression, though more research is needed until it becomes a possibility. “Right now, for example, Neuralink doesn't go very deep into the brain,” says Chen, noting that another treatment used to treat depression, deep brain stimulation (DBS), targets an area of the brain deeper than Neuralink and other BCIs can currently reach. ”The targets of DBS are much deeper in the brain.”

Vanhoestenberghe says that researchers are also trying to understand if the technology can be used to address potential mental and cognitive processes linked with obesity. 

Risks of implants

Receiving an implant comes with risks. Some are typical surgical risks—such as excessive bleeding or infection. Others are unique. For example, the brain simulation that BCIs entail can trigger epileptiform activity, a precursor for epilepsy, or epileptic attacks. (Neuralink did not immediately respond to TIME's request for comment on the potential risks of implantation.)

The procedure also carries potential long-term risks in ensuring the implant continues to function over time. “If all goes well, then the risk involves thinking about the device and technology and how stable they are in the long run,” says Vanhoestenberghe, noting the body might try to reject the implant. “Our bodies are very good at protecting ourselves from invasive objects.” 

Because of the high—and largely still unknown—risks associated with the implant, the process will only likely be undergone by someone who might stand to gain from the treatment, like those with incurable medical conditions. 

“Every person who participates in a clinical trial understands these risks, and they take these risks, always with the expectation that not it’s so much a benefit to themselves, but a benefit for future generations that suffer from the condition that they live with,” says Vanhoestenberghe. 

Widespread adoption of brain implants?

Neuralink’s call for volunteers might sound like something out of a sci-fi novel: "The device is designed to interpret a person's neural activity, so they can operate a computer or smartphone by simply thinking about moving – no wires or physical movement are required," the company said. 

But despite the futuristic premise, experts say that the technology is far from facing widespread adoption anytime soon. “This is a technology that really aims to help those who experienced the greatest degree of impairment. It's not meant to feed the general public or the average able-bodied person and that's a very important distinction,” says Chen. 

That the technology might be used to allow companies to read minds or users to offload their memories is not happening any time soon—though the future is still wide open. “We’re not going to have a participant where the device is implanted into somebody and we can then read their mind—at least, not in my lifetime,” says Vanhoestenberghe.

Source: https://time.com/6590258/nueralink-brain-implant-chip-first-human/

[JohnS]

Another article on this news event...

What to know about Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip implant

Musk said Neuralink implanted a brain chip in a human, a first for the company.

By ABC News

January 31, 2024

Elon Musk announced that his company Neuralink implanted a brain chip in a human in a preliminary clinical study. If research studies continue to look promising, devices like these could one day be a "game changer" for people with limited motor function, experts told ABC News.

Neuralink says its goal is to help people living with debilitating conditions, including paralysis, communicate and control external devices with their thoughts.

The patient who received the implant is "recovering well," Musk said in a post on X Tuesday.

Musk's company is not alone in developing this type of technology. In recent years, research teams from across the globe have announced early but promising studies of brain-machine interface devices.

Here's what else to know about Neuralink.

Neuralink's implant

Neuralink was founded in 2016 by Musk and a team of scientists and engineers. The company says its mission is to "create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs," according to its website.

The company says its device can interpret neural activity so a person can operate a computer or smartphone by simply thinking.

Neuralink says its devices can help people with debilitating conditions control external devices.

People paralyzed from a stroke, a traumatic brain injury or a spinal cord injury could see the benefits, the company says.

"This would be a major game changer if it could be proven to be safe and effective," Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist and assistant professor at Temple University, told ABC News.

Human trials after animal testing

The FDA approved Neuralink for human trials in May after years of testing on animals.

The company has previously demonstrated the ability of the implant to stimulate movement in pigs and monkeys, even demonstrating a monkey with a brain chip playing a video game.

A Neuralink brain chip implant is handled by a scientist.

Musk said the first human users will be those who lost the use of their limbs.

"Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer, that is the goal," Musk said.

Science fiction into reality

Neuralink's engineers aren't the only ones exploring this emerging science.

Last year, Swiss researchers said they combined artificial intelligence and brain and spine implants to help a man paralyzed in a motorcycle accident walk again.

And a woman who had lost her voice to paralysis was able to have a conversation with her husband again, with the help of a mind-controlled avatar, the Swiss researchers said.

A Neuralink scientist is pictured testing a device.

"I really do think that in my lifetime as a physician I'll be able to use this type of technology to help my patients and I cannot wait for that day to come," Croll said after Musk's announcement Tuesday.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/elon-musks-neuralink-brain-chip-implant/story?id=106792141

[cigcars]

    *Uhn - Uhhnnn --- NO. You're asking for the death knell from Hell if you indulge in this. There's already plenty of human error in the other projects of not just Musk, but for others in Sweden and so on. Can you imagine having something like this installed in your body and it malfunctions either through accident or willfull actions to make your life a living HELL on earth based on unwanted images, implants, or maginations by a malignant or negligent force to have you experience against your will Hell, the grave, unintended incidences, etc., over and over and over and over  that YOU can't undo unless it's done in a factory that may be gone due to accident, nuclear holocaust, explosion, whatever and you're just stuck on a loop going over and over and over again something nobody truly intended??? This could be the undending Hell that folks may be condemned to if they accept the "mark of the beast", and so on. And I truly liked Elon Musk to begin with. 

[99call]

It seems it was always going to go this way. 

I wonder with people like Elon and the Billionaire class, that if given the option to upload a complete catalogue of human skills, attributes and knowledge (a la matrix),  if they would choose to just leave out and avoid having the 'empathy' download.

[El Presidente]

I just don't know where Elon finds the time to conceptualise and execute/guide these projects. Tesla, StarLink, Neuralink, SpaceX. Any one is a lifetimes work. There are more. 

....I thought I was busy 

[99call]

9 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Tesla, StarLink, Neuralink, SpaceX. Any one is a lifetimes work. There are more. 

....I thought I was busy 

It's easy when everything you build blows up.      

I jest. It must be insane to have your finger in so many pies. Also hasn't he got 11 kids?

 

[El Presidente]

9 hours ago, 99call said:

It's easy when everything you build blows up.      

I jest. It must be insane to have your finger in so many pies. Also hasn't he got 11 kids?

I had no idea he had 11 kids! 

Concerning.....just a little...is that these leaps forward are largely occurring outside the realm of Universities and Govt funded agencies such as NASA. The big 4 and beyond are blazing a trail by themselves. I am unsure of where the oversight is. No doubt another committee will be put together to discuss. 

[99call]

8 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I had no idea he had 11 kids! 

I don't think he's even aware.

Lots of creepy stuff going on in his family.  Apparently, Elon's father has had 2 kids with his own step daughter...I think there needs to be a bit of 'oversight' in the household as well as the factory floor. 

[BrightonCorgi]

8 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I had no idea he had 11 kids! 

Concerning.....just a little...is that these leaps forward are largely occurring outside the realm of Universities and Govt funded agencies such as NASA. The big 4 and beyond are blazing a trail by themselves. I am unsure of where the oversight is. No doubt another committee will be put together to discuss. 

SpaceX is really special and poised to incredibly huge when it does go public. Granted, I have family who've been working at SpaceX for quite some time. Elon is a tough manager.

[Namisgr11]

Musk is way behind and following others with the approach, in truth. Academic and industry start-ups have been engineering and implanting brain-machine interfaces for decades now, and unlike Neuralink have published their methods and results by the hundreds. They've been used to get people with paralyzed legs to walk, and those with paralyzed facial muscles to 'speak', and they've helped reduce symptoms of intractable epilepsy and the unwanted movements of those with Parkinson's disease. The devices are used as prostheses, and are programmed for very narrow and specific sets of biomedical objectives. The base concept is relatively simple. When neural circuits become disconnected by injury or disease, a device can be used to bridge the circuit gap, recording and decoding electrical activity upstream of the damage and then stimulating neural output downstream of the damage and in accordance with the upstream signals to translate thoughts into movements and actions. There's good news, in that all human studies involving implantable brain devices require review and approval by independent review boards, and in the US by the FDA as well, and any work conducted without that oversight would be in violation of federal law and greeted with convictions. I believe every nation in which human research studies are conducted has a similar federal body whose critical review and ultimate approval are required before any of the human work can be initiated.

Here is a story from the scientific press about using a brain-spinal cord interface to facilitate walking in someone who'd lost the ability for 10 years after suffering a spinal cord injury from a cycling accident:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01728-0

And here's a system that allows someone who can no longer speak owing to facial paralysis to use their thoughts to get a computer interfaced with the part of the brain that controls facial muscles during speech to quickly output their 'speech':

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06377-x  the scientific publication itself

And a more digestible story about it from Cal Tech: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/brain-machine-interface-device-predicts-internal-speech

These brain-machine devices are able to promote and restore brain function in ways that are not possible using another type of approach.

[Namisgr11]

8 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I had no idea he had 11 kids! 

Concerning.....just a little...is that these leaps forward are largely occurring outside the realm of Universities and Govt funded agencies such as NASA. 

Musk gets press that others don't, and so what Neuralink is doing has given that false impression.

The international archive for scientific publications is PubMed. A search for peer reviewed published research studies of brain-machine interfaces on PubMed that I just conducted identifies 8,077 publications that go back over 40 years. A different search using brain computer interface as keywords yields over 12,000 published papers. Some of the publications do come from industry, but the vast majority are from government funded agencies and academic laboratories.:

Here's a paper from the field that was published in 1985. The author worked at University of Cambridge: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4046895/

Abstract

Implantation of prosthetic devices designed to complement the function of the human brain is a rare but well recognized innovative treatment for some patients. If this technique is to become clinically useful special attention will have to be paid to the bio-engineering requirements of the prosthesis-brain interface.

[jazzboypro]

Synchron has been doing something similar on people since 2021.

[Puros Y Vino]

9 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I just don't know where Elon finds the time to conceptualise and execute/guide these projects. Tesla, StarLink, Neuralink, SpaceX. Any one is a lifetimes work. There are more. 

....I thought I was busy 

Is he really? He seems to spend more time on X/Twitter these days. The shine on his cars is starting to dull. The Cybertruck is a monstrosity. Starlink is ver cool. Neuralink killed hundreds of chimps. SpaceX is run by proper management IIRC. He just pops in now and then.

 

[PigFish]

The CCP has been doing it for years. No implants required. You get up, start your coffee and open TikTok!

Then you do whatever they program you to think.🤔 

[jazzboypro]

5 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

Neuralink killed hundreds of chimps.

So did many clinical trials to develop medications/treatments that we all benefit today. It would be nice it it was not necessary but unfortunately it still is. maybe AI will eventually solve that problem.

[Cigar Surgeon]

As a technology guy this reminds me a bit of the Wait Calculation issue. The Wait Calculation issue simplified is that travel to the closest star system is pointless unless it can be completed sooner than the next technology leap in interstellar travel.

So too I'd be hesitant at moving forward with a brain implant because in 4 - 7 years the technology would be completely obsolete.

[jazzboypro]

3 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

As a technology guy this reminds me a bit of the Wait Calculation issue. The Wait Calculation issue simplified is that travel to the closest star system is pointless unless it can be completed sooner than the next technology leap in interstellar travel.

So too I'd be hesitant at moving forward with a brain implant because in 4 - 7 years the technology would be completely obsolete.

In the case of brain implants someone with severe disabilities might see things differently if the current technology may radically improve their quality of life. A some point one needs to stop waiting for the next generation of a particular technology. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

3 hours ago, jazzboypro said:

In the case of brain implants someone with severe disabilities might see things differently if the current technology may radically improve their quality of life. A some point one needs to stop waiting for the next generation of a particular technology. 

I hear you, but I remember watching a documentary on this a few years ago:

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60416058

It would be so terrifying to just have your vision stop again because a company is out of business.

 

[jazzboypro]

10 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

I hear you, but I remember watching a documentary on this a few years ago:

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60416058

It would be so terrifying to just have your vision stop again because a company is out of business.

I agree. There are huge risks with this technology and I'm afraid it will get worse as the technology matures and the implants will get more and more sophisticated. I see this as a last resort solution when one does not have much more to lose. I think my biggest fear would be that eventually the implant could be remotely control and make a person do lord knows what. 

This is still exciting technology nonetheless it's a bit akin to CRISPR.

[El Presidente]

16 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

Is he really? He seems to spend more time on X/Twitter these days. The shine on his cars is starting to dull. The Cybertruck is a monstrosity. Starlink is ver cool. Neuralink killed hundreds of chimps. SpaceX is run by proper management IIRC. He just pops in now and then.

• X has been a CF. Still, the revamping late 2024 may be the only one left able to take on Tik Tok. 
• Tesla is now just another car manufacturer. .However home/commercial  battery storage tech may be where the real money is and they are at the front of the pack. 
• Starlink is a license to print money.....and control. 
• Neuralink is my biggest concern. I watched "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes". 
• SpaceX he owns 54%. Very smart move. Fits perfectly into overall strategy. 

[jazzboypro]

16 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

Is he really? He seems to spend more time on X/Twitter these days. The shine on his cars is starting to dull. The Cybertruck is a monstrosity. Starlink is ver cool. Neuralink killed hundreds of chimps. SpaceX is run by proper management IIRC. He just pops in now and then.

He didn't get where he is by doing nothing. Not everybody likes him but the guy is a visionary with all the quirks that comes with it. I think what he did so far is pretty amazing.

[jazzboypro]

7 hours ago, VeguerosMAN said:

Do not sleep on Tesla FSD tech ( it's the real AI) and their Optimus bots. Once the 25k model comes out and be able to mass produce with their giga press, it's OVER for legacy autos. They said they can catch up to Tesla production by 2024 a few years back and now they are singing different tunes just because their EV sales are tanked!! Tesla Y was the best selling car in the world in 2023.

Lots of manufacturers came late to the EV party. I suspect they were waiting/hoping for Tesla to fail miserably but it turned out to be a success.

[Corylax18]

8 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Starlink is a license to print money.....and control. 

It isn't though. There are many reasons why no other satellite internet provider uses a LEO constellation. The main one is attrition, the satellites just don't stay up long enough at such shallow orbits. They also lose roughly 20-25% of their satellites right after launch due to QC issues. Another reason is that moving objects(boats and airplanes) don't work nearly as well with LEO satellites as they do with GEO satellites. They are a private company, so the real #s aren't out there, but they are 100% in the red, last year, over the company's lifetime, whatever time frame you want to look at. Without deeply discounted launch prices from SpaceX the whole charade would have collapsed a long time ago. I copied a couple articles below that more articulately describe both the technologic limitations and financial issues that will prevent starlink from fulfilling the hype. 

I will concede that the rest of SpaceX is amazing though. As others have said, Elon is less involved in it than most of his other ventures, but it has and will continue to revolution space travel. 

https://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/starlinks-reach-wont-be-enough-solve-rural-broadband-dilemma-farrar

https://starlinkinsider.com/why-starlink-will-fail/

[MrBirdman]

7 hours ago, VeguerosMAN said:

Yep. Ford is losing 30k to 45k per EV they sell. No wonder they are now saying EVs aren't the future. haha. Lucid the luxury EV is losing 300k per every vehicle they sell. Some crazy numbers once you do some research. VW simply got whacked in China as they invested into gas factories while China was transitioning to EVs. Tesla will print 20 mil cars per year by 2030.  

All these car companies recognize that EVs are the future, so Ford at least is ok losing money in the short term to develop their tech. Lucid is screwed most likely.

What often gets overlooked is that Tesla’s best selling point isn’t the cars - it’s the charging network. The non-Tesla network hasn’t developed as well as hoped, and isn’t as reliable. So it does seem they’ve won there, since major manufacturers like Ford say they’re going to transition to the Tesla charging standard in the future. It makes sense for there to be only one, though it’s a shame it will be a proprietary rather than an open platform. We’ll see if that pans out.