0Neuralink, Elon Musk’s technology venture, is facing enormous challenges these days. The San Francisco company is currently under federal investigation. According to reports, the company is responsible for animal welfare violations.
People still need clarification as to why Neuralink is facing challenges while Elon Musk’s other two ventures are doing well.
Neuralink works on BCI brain-computer interfaces. Interfaces are implanted in humans that enable them to communicate and move.
In the last decades, researchers have been working on brain-computer interfaces. Neuralink is also working on the same technology. However, several unique innovations set it apart from what’s currently on the market.
The device is fully implantable, battery-powered, and wireless. These features enable the device to move out of the laboratory setting eventually. Due to advanced technology, Link can record the activity of more neurons than any other interface. According to this report, an average device can receive impulses from 200 to 300 electrodes. The Link is a modified version and can receive up to 2048 electrodes.
Using this technology, degenerative diseases, paralysis, and stroke can be quickly dealt with.
next levels
According to this company, the next step is to implant this device in humans. At the same time, the company is currently done with the testing phase. This is an important step that allows for further testing and development of the technology.
It is a great innovation that enables disabled people to communicate and move. Apart from combating the various diseases of war, there is another dangerous and lofty goal that has been set before this neural recording and data transfer device enables humans to interact with computers.
According to Musk, this will allow us to reason about our abilities and eventually build devices that can help us achieve superhuman intelligence. On the surface, it is very interesting, but on the other hand, if you can dig deeper, you will discover many issues.
Huge challenges
There is a digital dimension to communication. The biggest challenge Neuralink faces the same challenge that plagues other implants, the immune system. Our bodies are remarkably designed to protect us from foreign invaders. That’s what these devices work on. The body tries to fight them, which can cause inflammation and implant rejection. Another challenge is removing the implant while the brain is fighting infection, and there are no previously documented cases of this being done.
One of these studies shows that problems such as infections and device failure plagued 4.6% of patients with this type of implant.
Hence, Neuralink implants are less invasive than conventional brain-computer interfaces. Brain damage can be significant.
The innovative device is a lifesaver for people with spinal cord injuries or debilitating brain injuries. On the other hand, for healthy people, the risks seem to outweigh the benefits.