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Finally! Neuralink moves towards human trials
Elon Musk is known as the man with great ideas, but many of them fall by the wayside. Until now, Neuralink had not offered anything relevant or out of the ordinary.
However, the tycoon who is spearheading the neural chip scoop has made a big announcement. In that sense, the company entered the testing phase, but in the human sphere.
What is Neuralink? One more step towards a great future
Full name Neuralink Corporation, it is another of Elon Musk's futuristic projects. A company specialized in neural sciences with a high level of technology management.
The objective that it pursues is, explicitly, to achieve a correct symbiosis between artificial intelligence and the human mind. To do this, it will build implantable chips or interfaces that will be able to communicate the brain field with the environment.
Although it sounds fanciful and lends itself to other speculations, the objective will only be based on the medical field. That is, to help patients with neurodegenerative diseases recover their motor and intrinsic functions.
Neuralink was founded in 2016 and, since then, had only achieved a few glimpses with animal tests. 6 years later, it surprises with the announcement that highlights the opening of the human testing process.
Pager, the living being that made the greatest progress with Neuralink
Pager is the designation given to the monkey that served as the laboratory object for Neuralink. Said living being was the carrier, during several tests, of the prototype baptized as N1 Link.
The center of the experiment was based on the primate playing the ancient game Pong. A title with almost 50 years of existence, but that lent itself to the basic notions of Neuralink.
Pager started out using a special controller to play the game, and later went on to control the game with his mind. Thanks to thought, he was able to move the cursor on the screen at a steady and feasible pace.
Given the finding, the company was quick to clarify that the result is the product of decades of global research. Data that benefited the construction of the N1 Link model, built from more than 1,000 ultra-sensitive electrodes.
So, after some time in the air, the first direct neural interface system saw the light. And, repeating the tests in a serial and objective way, they finally reached the goal of human studies.
From macaques to fully conscious and thinking beings
Pager led the way after he could play Pong with his mind alone. As a direct consequence, humans will take the lead as the main clinical trial population.
Elon Musk told The Wall Street Journal that his company was ready to unleash the feature. Looking back, he was organizing the protocols to implant Neuralink chips into human brains throughout 2022.
The interview took on more importance when another digital outlet, Bloomberg, confirmed a job advertisement. The company was looking for a "Clinical Trials Director" to oversee the procedure from start to finish.
The statement also prayed a call for those who wish to participate in the investigation. He underlines that the methodology will be supported by great doctors, engineers and scientists in general, acting for the sake of resounding success.
Once again humanity faces a world of possibilities thanks to Elon Musk.
However, the community remains on the lookout due to the caution surrounding Neuralink. Being a project with a high probability of being delayed, the dates and other announcements are discreet.
What will be the next step for Neuralink?
There is still a lot of material to be cut for the aspirations of Musk and Neuralink. Applying tests in human brains is not easy, having to go through different strict security protocols.
As an additive, it also requires approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Without your approval, any future sale or marketing of the product will not be fully supported. In effect, it will mean a gigantic setback that must be prevented.
Experts assure that in the short or medium term, Neuralink will not provide tangible or conclusive data. Being the brain a mysterious border, the processes and deadlines will extend more than what was promoted in the first moments.
