The first animal to receive a brain implant was the pig Gertrude; 85% of the wires detached from the brain of the first human to receive the implant
The latest controversy with the billionaire Elon Muskowner of Tesla Comes from Xformerly Twitter, involves his brain implant development company, Neuralink. This is because the implant inserted into its first human patient, Nolan Arbaugh, problems occurred and 85% of the installed cables came loose. In a post published in early May on the Neuralink blog, it was already reported that in the weeks following the surgery, which took place in January this year, several “wires retreated from the brain, resulting in a marked decrease in effectiveness of the electrodes,” however, the post had no further details. The information that was 85% was published by the newspaper The New York Times.
According to a post on the Neuralink blog, to overcome the problem, changes were made to the recording algorithm so that the chip was more sensitive to Arbaugh’s mental signals, being able to translate these signals into cursor movements that move interfaces, such as a game. Despite the setback, Musk will continue the research and has already received approval from the US federal agency Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implant it in a second human being. Check out some interesting facts about Neuralink below.
1 – Confidentiality regarding the incorporation of the company
Neuralink Corp. was registered in July 2016 in California as a “medical research” company. A month later, through posts on his then-now-X Twitter account, Musk joked that he was developing the technology himself. The information that these were brain implants only came to light after a March 2017 report The Wall Street Journal. The existence of the company was confirmed by Max Hodak, who told the newspaper that he was part of the founding group, without providing many details.
2 – The first test was on the sow Gertrude
The first test of the new technology took place in 2020 on animals. The choice for what was called the “proof of concept” was the Gertrude pig. The chip implanted in the pig’s brain was able to accurately predict its position when it walked on a treadmill or when it smelled food.
3 – Monkey played Atari
In a subsequent announcement in April 2021, Musk revealed that another animal test had been carried out, this time implanting a neurotransmitter into the brain of a monkey. The video showed the monkey playing, in his mind alone, Pong, an electronic ping pong game released by Atari in 1972. Neuralink’s testing on animals was criticized by the US Board of Medical Responsibility, which accused it of animal abuse. animals, which Musk denied.
4 – Musk wants to associate humans with artificial superintelligence
In a podcast titled “Artificial Intelligence,” hosted by Lex Fridman, Musk said Neuralink was designed to “address the existential risk associated with digital superintelligence.” In his words, since we will not be able to be smarter than a supercomputer, and therefore we will not be able to beat them, the way forward was to join them.
5 – A chip called “telepathy”
It’s called the chip implanted in the first human being Telepathy, which means telepathy in Portuguese. Among other things, the promise is that, after being implanted in the brain, the person will be able to control the phone simply by thinking, according to a post on X from earlier this year. Among other things, the chip will be able to activate the Spotify and allow the person to listen to music directly in the brain, making even the ears obsolete. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a fast typist or an auctioneer. That’s the goal,” Musk wrote at the time.
6 – The system was created with a “sewing machine”
To “sew” the tangle of more than a thousand thin threads (electrodes) in the brain and connect it to the Telepathy chip, it was necessary to create a specific robot, similar to a sewing machine. This robot can sew electrodes deep into people’s brains.
7 – The first patient was a student and athlete
Arbaugh is 30 years old and from Yuma, in the US state of Arizona, according to the AZ Central portal. He was a student-athlete at Texas A&M University and working as a counselor at a children’s camp when he suffered an accident that left him a quadriplegic in July 2016. according to a Gofundme post who was trying to raise money to buy a van so his family could transport him in his wheelchair. Arbaugh has previously said that he doesn’t have “strong ties” to Musk, but that he “felt like he was driving progress.”
8 – The company is looking for new candidates
According to a post on the Neuralink blog, human trials are currently aimed at people with quadriplegia. The company’s website also left a Registration is open for those interested in participating in the research. “If you have limited or no ability to use both hands due to a cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), you may be eligible for the study,” the website states.
9 – Activation of the robotic arms
Neuralink predicts that, in the future, the chip’s functionality could enable robotic arms, wheelchairs and other technologies that could increase the independence of people living with quadriplegia.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
