#Elon_Musk
#Neuralink
#brain_machine_interfaces
#brain_to_machine_interface
#brain_machine_interface_companies
#what_is_brain_machine_interface
#brain_machine_interface_technology

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs)

Brain-machine interfaces are promising for the restoration of sensory and motor function and also the treatment of neurological disorders. However, clinical BMIs don't seem to be yet widespread, partly because modest bandwidths limit their potential. This is exactly where the Neuralink start-up founded by Elon Musk in 2017 comes in. the corporate develop brain-machine interfaces with extremely high bandwidth to attach people and computers. Additionally, the potential impact of this brain-computer interface on the encompassing brain tissue is predicted to be but that of the technologies currently in use. Regarding concrete objectives, the initial focus is on medical applications. Neuralink intends to launch a product to be used in certain severe brain injuries (stroke, cancer lesion, congenital brain damage) as early as 2021. Further potential applications are intended to support visual, hearing, or other sensory and motor deficits.
Human clinical trials planned for 2020
According to Neuralink President Max Hodak, the corporate plans to begin clinical trials in humans as early as next year. The aim of the studies is to drill four 8 mm holes into the skulls of paralyzed patients and insert implants which will enable them to regulate computers and smartphones with their thoughts. The company has already dispensed tests on monkeys and rats. as an example, a monkey was already able to control a computer together with his brain. "Many have written it off as impossible, " says Hodak. "There are going to be significant developments during this area over the following ten years that ought to be taken seriously.
How the Neuralink Human-Machine interface works
The Neuralink interface consists of a fine, flexible electrode, "threads” and an eight-millimeter sensor placed within the brain. The filaments are attached to the sensor and are designed to detect, record, and transmit the activity of the nerve cells to the sensor. The sensor successively sends the signals via Bluetooth to a battery-powered receiver which is found on the skin of the top behind the ear. From there, the knowledge is shipped to a computer. This can be how Elon Musk describes the long-run functioning of BIM in his presentation on 17 July 2019. The streaming of information with full bandwidth from the device and therefore, the simultaneous recording of all channels is feasible with a USB-C cable. This technique has achieved a peak yield of up to 85.5 percent with permanently implanted electrodes. Neuralink’s approach, therefore, offers enormous packing density and scalability.
Implantation with Insertion Robot
For implantation, Neuralink has developed a neurosurgical robot that places the sensor and electrodes sort of “sewing machine .” to avoid injury to surface vessels and to focus on specific brain regions, each thread is individually inserted into the brain with an accuracy of micrometers. Insertion involves implanting incredibly thin sutures (between 4 to 6mm), about one-third the diameter of the thinnest human hair, deep into the brain tissue of an individual. The robot can implant six threads (192 electrodes) per minute. Under the direction of a neurosurgeon, the robot has already implanted the fine electrodes in 19 rats. In 87, percent of the cases. This was achieved correctly. During a primary demonstration ahead of a reporter, the start-up showed that it had been able to record the brain activity of a rat via thousands of little electrodes that were surgically implanted next to the neurons, and synapses of the animal.
Brain-computer interface against AI dictator
in recent years, Musk has repeatedly talked about the requirement to form a brain-computer interface to prevent the expansion of super-smart AI. within the long-term, therefore, consistent with Elon Musk, Neuralink is about finding how to attain a form of symbiosis with AI. Already in September 2016 Musk declared that a “human-AI symbiosis” would help to democratize AI. Humans must merge with computing to stop the adoption of computing. Within the documentary “Do You Trust This Computer? Musk stressed: “AI might be accustomed to create an immortal dictator from whom we could never escape. ”
Conclusion:
Brain-Machine interface Neuralink sets its goals high — probably more than any previous Musk company. The technology is extremely promising for medical applications if it works: A brain refers to a high bandwidth that's implanted via a robot operation. The hope is the results are better and more accurate than in previous experiments involving brain-machine interfaces.