Short Report

ROBOTIC IMPLANTS IN HUMANS

SHORT REPORT – ROBOTIC IMPLANTS HUMANS

You can see here the report in pdf

ABSTRACT

Elon Musk is developing a device that could give people with cerebral palsy (cerebral paralysis) access to technology. It is still in a state of research, but if an operative and functional version were developed, this could mean the beginning of a new reality in which technology revolutionizes the possibilities that science could not achieve today.

The conclusions of the research are:

  • Introducing a brain implant in humans is getting closer and could help many people with paralysis to have a better quality of life.

  • Animal experiments have already begun with promising results and it is expected that human tests will begin in about 6 months.

  • If it works, its uses could be expanded to treat other diseases or disorders and even be used simply for leisure.

  • This opens the door to other types of implants such as eye or bone marrow, which are already beginning to be developed by the same company.

1. TARGET AUDIENCE

The audience for this report is our classmates and this report is focused on robotic implants in humans, especially on the subject of Neuralink, a company created by Elon Musk (Tesla’s owner), which invents an embedded coin-sized computer brain implant into humans.  

 

2. SOURCES

  1. Official page of Neuralink 

  2. First implants in animals according to CNBC

  3. The expectation of implants in humans in 6 months Fortune (business magazine)


3. RELEVANT FINDINGS

Neuralink is an ambitious company working towards creating a Direct Link between the Brain and everyday technology. The Link is a fully implantable, cosmetically invisible brain-computer interface which would allow people with paralysis to control a computer or mobile device. It consists of neural threads, which are small and flexible threads with many electrodes for detecting neural signals, and an implant called the “Link” which processes and transmits neural signals. To insert the neural threads, a robotic system is being developed that would be able to reliably and efficiently insert them exactly where the neurosurgeon wants them to be. The Neuralink app would also be designed to allow users to control their computer with their thoughts. The initial goal is to help people with paralysis regain independence, but the potential is there to treat a wide range of neurological disorders, restore sensory and motor function, and expand how we interact with each other and experience the world around us. The company is striving towards diversity and inclusion, and it has been working with a Consumer Advisory Board composed of people with lived experience with quadriplegia to create the world’s most empowering and user-friendly BCI.

Elon Musk has said that his start-up Neuralink has wired up a monkey to play video games using its mind. Neuralink put a computer chip into the monkey's skull and connected it to its brain using tiny wires. Musk also spoke about Neuralink's progress with pigs in August, which demonstrated life. Neuralink aims to increase the rate at which information can flow from the human brain to a machine and to eventually allow humans to “go along for the ride” with AI. Musk believes that the technology could one day allow humans to send concepts to one another using telepathy and exist in a “saved state” after they die. In the near term, Neuralink wants to implant chips into quadriplegics to allow them to control devices with their minds.

Elon Musk's Neuralink Corp. is planning to start putting its computer brain implants into human patients within six months. The implant is coin-sized and is implanted into the brain using a robot. 

In addition to the brain-computer interface, Neuralink is also developing implants for the spinal cord and ocular implants meant to improve vision. The aim is to allow people with debilitating conditions to communicate via their thoughts and eventually allow the transfer of information between humans and machines. The company has been doing tests on primates to prove that the surgery is safe and that the implant can remain in the brain without causing harm. Synchron Inc. and Onward Inc. have already done breakthrough work in this area. Neuralink's advantage is its greater computing power. While the technology is still in its early days, Neuralink is the only general-purpose BCI company, working on the brain, eye and spinal cord.


4. CONCLUSIONS

Introducing a brain implant in humans is getting closer and could help many people with paralysis to have a better quality of life.

Animal experiments have already begun with promising results and it is expected that human tests will begin in about 6 months.

If it works, its uses could be expanded to treat other diseases or disorders and even be used simply for leisure.

This opens the door to other types of implants such as eye or bone marrow, which are already beginning to be developed by the same company.


Bibliography

https://fortune.com/2022/12/01/elon-musk-neuralink-plans-embed-coin-sized-computer-brain-implants-human-patients-6-months/ (6/05/2023)

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