Elon Musk's NeuraLink reveals 'N1', first generation brain interface system on a chip

TLDR:

-1000x higher neural reading resolution than existing technologies
-Each chip is tiny, comes with 1024 attached micro-electrodes that can read individual neurons and write to clusters of neurons. Each chip handles all signals processing and features wireless connection (Bluetooth).
-Electrode sensors are implanted beside/between neurons, so each electrode can read multiple neurons, but writing (inciting action potentials) to neurons is less precise.
-Electrodes are super thin, only a robot can implant them through tiny hole in skull. It weaves them safely past blood vessels and takes an hour to implant one chip. Implantation would resemble laser eye surgery.
-Consumer setup includes Array of 4 chips, which are then hooked up to a small battery compartment behind ear, which has a usb-c port for firmware updates.
-Implanted Array comes with a phone app.
-First use cases utilizing cluster of 4 chips include phone control, mouse and keyboard control.

Applications are limited by implantation region. For example implanting all micro-electrodes into the motor cortex leads to emulating and stimulating movement. Technology scales in both directions (improvements in resolution/smaller size of electrodes, computational capacity of the chips, higher wireless bandwidths) leading to improvements all around. i.e Existing implants could be upgraded via software or an external hardware add on.

It's finally fucking happening you guys.

 

[MrTickles]

Seizures, natures way of saying "LOL, I L33T H4><oR!"





Anything Musk promotes is suspect because he's this odd and unbalanced fusion of snake oil salesman and actual scientist. He's 10% right and 90% investment-seeking sped.

Remember, he was the guy who built a rescue sub that, couldn't go around the corner it had to to reach it's destination? He's not a whackjob trying to sell you a free energy machine he never actually SHOWS you (Because then Big Oil would steal it) but he IS the kind of guy who shoots a BB through 1000 yards of vacuum sealed drinking straws and declares "SEE? The hyperloop WORKS! Invest now and don't get left behind!"

For every ounce of steak he's selling 50 tons of sizzling noise, and the dummies in the public eat it up every time......

Are you saying his rockets and electric vehicles never happened? A mere figment of our imaginations? Despite them being driven around and launched on a daily basis? When he puts his full backing behind a project, it is seen through to completion. I don't know where you're getting this alternate reality from. I hope its not reddit.

 

[XYZpdq]

Are you saying his rockets and electric vehicles never happened? A mere figment of our imaginations? Despite them being driven around and launched on a daily basis? When he puts his full backing behind a project, it is seen through to completion. I don't know where you're getting this alternate reality from. I hope its not reddit.

Don't they also blow up and shit, like a lot?

 

[Sanshain]

Don't they also blow up and shit, like a lot?

Not to any significant degree at all.

It's kind of amusing to me to see people either loathe anything Musk produces or frantically tongue-bath it. The reality is he's done a lot of really good things and a few very dumb things. They call it the 'bleeding edge' of technology for a good reason, and thus far Musk has managed to mitigate the risks to a reasonable degree. Sure, other companies have taken his ideas and made better versions of them, but that is solely because Musk has taken the risks they weren't willing to and built examples they can then iterate upon and use as a 'what not to do' template.

So basically yeah, he does good stuff and bad stuff, but you can't really get as big as he is and be the kind of drooling lunatic that his critics like to claim he is.

 

[Troon Anthropologist]

There were so many iterations between the first ipod and current smartphones.
Imagine getting a first gen Neurolink chip with no long term studies done for the implant. That's some horror shit.
Tesla and SpaceX success rates doesn't leave me filled with much confidence.

 

[LazarusOwenhart]

But imagine the possibilities. You could pay for implanted memories of holidays and vacations. Every weekend you could go on a 30 days cruise.

Yeah because that worked out amazingly for Arnie in Total Recall

 

[MrTickles]

Yeah because that worked out amazingly for Arnie in Total Recall

It would have if he had only let them turn him back into Hauser, his real identity. Hauser was in with the bad guys. So at best the technology turned hauser into doug, a good guy. At worst it took away the identity of a bad guy. Good shit gibs me some.

There were so many iterations between the first ipod and current smartphones.
Imagine getting a first gen Neurolink chip with no long term studies done for the implant. That's some horror shit.
Tesla and SpaceX success rates doesn't leave me filled with much confidence.

Brain is one of the most malleable and enduring organs of the body. Perhaps more so than the liver. It will take far more than a few thousand wires to fuck it up. This technology could make all recreational drugs obsolete as it could stimulate key regions in key ways and thus emulate the effects of marijuana, tobacco, cocaine, alcohol, etc with no danger to the body.

 

[kadoink]

Yeah because that worked out amazingly for Arnie in Total Recall

Or did it?

 

[Bagronkleton]

Yeah no, gonna give a hard fucking pass on this shit. When people ask why I just reply with 'Imagine someone like Zuckerberg having access to your brain.'

I like the concept behind the idea of brain enhancing chip implants but living in clown world is bad enough as it is, I don't need those fuckers tampering with my head from the inside.

 

[neverendingmidi]

It would have if he had only let them turn him back into Hauser, his real identity. Hauser was in with the bad guys. So at best the technology turned hauser into doug, a good guy. At worst it took away the identity of a bad guy. Good shit gibs me some.




Brain is one of the most malleable and enduring organs of the body. Perhaps more so than the liver. It will take far more than a few thousand wires to fuck it up. This technology could make all recreational drugs obsolete as it could stimulate key regions in key ways and thus emulate the effects of marijuana, tobacco, cocaine, alcohol, etc with no danger to the body.

I'm calling bullshit on that. You can excise a fuckton of the liver and it will grow back. Ask stroke victims how easy it is to get back dead brain tissue. I mean yeah, after months to years of recovery you might create new pathways that allow that person to walk/talk/gesture again, but it's never the same. All you need is a wire in the wrong area, and whoops there goes long term memory.

 

[Gravityqueen4life]

never. im never gonna let some fucks put chips into my body. i rather live in the gutter then become a machine.

 

[Otterly]

The tech is there and has been for years.

The tech may be, but our knowledge of the brain isn’t. We still don’t have a clue how most of it works, people are still clueless over how consciousness emerges or exists. Our knowledge of the brain is still way too rudimentary to do anything more with this than simple cause-effect commands, like ‘move this to the left.’ You could probably control a cursor with it with training.

 

[LazarusOwenhart]

See if this was at the 'transfer your consciousness into a robot' stage I might take a punt at it as an alternative to death. At the moment the idea of sinking electrodes into my brain because surfing the internet with something as stone age as my fingers is too much of a hassle just isn't for me.

 

[UQ 770]

It would have if he had only let them turn him back into Hauser, his real identity. Hauser was in with the bad guys. So at best the technology turned hauser into doug, a good guy. At worst it took away the identity of a bad guy. Good shit gibs me some.

Don't fuck with your brain pal. It ain't worth it.

 

[MembersSchoolPizza]

I'm so glad I'll be dead before any of this becomes a truly mature technology.

 

[💗Freddie Freaker💗]

>Implanted Array comes with a phone app.

Now THAT's definitely safe.

Think Musk is going to get lawsuits when people start getting brain damage?

You guys are such Amish. Embrace our hive mind future. Resistance is probably futile.

 

[Ягода]

Not to any significant degree at all.

It's kind of amusing to me to see people either loathe anything Musk produces or frantically tongue-bath it. The reality is he's done a lot of really good things and a few very dumb things. They call it the 'bleeding edge' of technology for a good reason, and thus far Musk has managed to mitigate the risks to a reasonable degree. Sure, other companies have taken his ideas and made better versions of them, but that is solely because Musk has taken the risks they weren't willing to and built examples they can then iterate upon and use as a 'what not to do' template.

So basically yeah, he does good stuff and bad stuff, but you can't really get as big as he is and be the kind of drooling lunatic that his critics like to claim he is.

what novel ideas did Musk ever come up with? What are these ideas of his that are being exploited by other companies?? Someone is building a better hyperloop or a giant LiPo battery in my garage ready to snakbar the whole neighborhood?

Must has been reasonably good at picking some existing and somewhat known idea and putting shitload of hype around it. I swear, it's like watching Theranos 2.0, I can see the hype but not everyone can see the fraud.

 

[DidYouJustSayThat]

I, for one, welcome our new brain chip programming corporate overlords.
Have a Mac tonight! I'm lovin' it!

Sent from my Neuralink N1 device.

 

[Sanshain]

what novel ideas did Musk ever come up with? What are these ideas of his that are being exploited by other companies?? Someone is building a better hyperloop or a giant LiPo battery in my garage ready to snakbar the whole neighborhood?

Must has been reasonably good at picking some existing and somewhat known idea and putting shitload of hype around it. I swear, it's like watching Theranos 2.0, I can see the hype but not everyone can see the fraud.

>Theranos failed to even produce a functional prototype of the one system they were founded to create after nearly a decade
>Musk has a functional space program as a side project

yeah, it's totally theranos 2.0

 

[MagneticTowels]

Implantation of these could easily be funded with advertisements - behold the brave future, where people walking on the street suddenly get a glazed faraway look and then perform a perfectly coreographed sing and dance number praising Coca-Cola?

Too late

 

[Corbin Dallas Multipass]

Too late
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3NQ3kXLKfDM

Anyone else remember the old cartoon this came from? It was weird, as I recall, a baby owl wanted to be a singer, instead of going into the family business, whatever that was. Every time the dad owl left the room the kid owl would burst into that song.

I am 85% sure this is a real memory and not just a fever dream.