Elon Musk is one of the most innovative individuals in our world, if not the most innovative. He receives a 9-figure payout from PayPal, and instead of riding off into the sunset, he bets on himself by buying and reinventing Tesla, which is still the only profitable EV producer out there. At the same time, he built SpaceX, another company with reusable rocket boosters and a massive Satellite internet service. Not to mention, SpaceX technology surpassed NASA’s without all the government funding (eyeballs emoji). Then he bought his favorite place to post memes, Twitter, and changed it to X. Today, however, I would like to discuss what I think is his most sci-fi venture to date, Neuralink.
Neuralink is essentially a brain chip to enhance the human mind.
The chip is implanted by their Surgical Robot and is designed to let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go. They are *currently* focused on using the device on people with quadriplegia to enhance their lives by communicating their thoughts through control of their computer. However, their company mission via their website states: “Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.” The phrase, Unlock human potential tomorrow makes me think of Terminator mixed with Elysium.
We’ll focus on helping people who have quadriplegia for now.
Neuralink received approval for human trial testing in September of 2023. In January 2024, their surgical robot implanted a chip on the first human patient. On Monday, February 19th, Musk said, “Progress is good, and the patient seems to have fully recovered, with no ill effects that we are aware of. The patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking.” This statement is massive in terms of quality of life for the patient and the patient’s support system since they can communicate more effectively and efficiently than ever before. Neuralink has more ambitions in the medical field with its chip implants as well. They are hoping their speedy chip insertions can one day be used to treat conditions like obesity, depression, autism, and schizophrenia. The weight loss drugs look like they could have some stiff competition in the future.
In my opinion, there is no one better at turning sci-fi into reality. He is one driven individual.
March 2024
