Elon Musk wants “to give people superpowers,” according to a livestream Neuralink update broadcast on X Wednesday.
The CEO took the moment to provide an overview of what’s been done and give his future projections about the brain chip. The chip contains an array of tiny wires that fan out into the patient’s brain. The wires are equipped with electrodes that can monitor brain activity and in theory, send electronic signalsto stimulate the brain.
The company’s current priority is treating patients with neurological conditions. Neuralink’s first patient, Noland Arbaugh, received the brain chip in January and has since said it improved his life.
But Musk said in the livestream that, eventually, he sees the technology being able to provide better functionality than those without neurological conditions.
Musk also added that he envisioned a world in which Optimus and Neuralink technology give people “cybernetic superpowers” by implanting arms or legs from Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus in people who have lost parts.
Musk is known to make ambitious promises for the future — some of which he ends up revising. But the CEO also gave some concrete answers about what can be expected in the the short term in terms of testing and a second product.
To some people’s surprise, Musk also made sure to note that Neuralink has not placed chips in random people’s brains.
“But in the future, if you would like us to put in the brain, which will perhaps help with the issue of thinking that you have a chip in your brain, then we will be able to do so,” Musk said.
— Neuralink (@neuralink) July 10, 2024
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