Elon Musk's Brain Implant Company Is Inching Toward Human Trials, Report Says (bloomberg.com) 51
Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink is now hiring a clinical trial director, an indication that the company's longstanding goal of implanting chips in human brains is coming closer. Bloomberg: The trial director position would oversee the startup's long-promised human trials of its medical device, according to the listing. Neuralink's brain implant -- which Musk has said already allows monkeys to play video games with their thoughts alone -- is intended to help treat a variety of neurological disorders, such as paralysis. The job description for the position, based in Fremont, California, promises that the applicant will "work closely with some of the most innovative doctors and top engineers" as well as with "Neuralink's first Clinical Trial participants." It also indicates that the job will mean leading and building "the team responsible for enabling Neuralink's clinical research activities," as well as adhering to regulations. Last month, Musk told the Wall Street Journal that Neuralink hoped to implant its device in human brains sometime in 2022.
Read the title as... (Score:1)
"Elon Musk's Brain Inching Toward Human"
Felt that a bit too harsh.
Re: (Score:2)
On humans?
Re: FUTURE! (Score:2)
Elon Musk beloved by the masses (Score:3)
If there was ever an Elon Musk troll thread this would be it.
Protip: Musk's company isn't the only one doing this.
Re: (Score:2)
True, and in all honesty I wish all of the researchers the best. A brain-computer link (imho) would be a very good thing.I'm not sure I'd necessarily trust all of the makers, but the actual concept (if done right) would be amazing.
Sure, what could possibly go wrong? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Correction. We wouldn't be on the Moon if we didn't use Nazis [xkcd.com].
Damnit, I've been Godwin'ed. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the Civil War
Re:Sure, what could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Insightful)
All progress requires risk, with momentous progress requiring commensurately greater risk.
All the same, put it in someone else first. I wanna see what it does before I sign up personally.
The trial version will allow the quadriplegic volunteer to enter text into a computer faster than Stephen Hawking could. It may also allow some volitional control of an electric wheelchair. That's basically all it will do.
The haters are out in force on this story, more so than usual, and more stupidly than usual. Of all of Elon Musk's ventures, he has made the fewest grand pronouncements about Neuralink. There aren't going to be any Battle Angel Alitas or Major Kusanagis coming out of Neuralink and everybody knows it, including Mr. Musk. The ultimate goal of Neuralink is to give humans a better bandwidth interface with our machines. That's all. And Elon Musk has had the discretion not to even guess at a timeline for such an achievement.
What Neuralink will do this year is improve the quality of life for some paralyzed people, and you utter shitheads whining about Musk can sit down and shut the fuck up and be happy for people for whom medical science has had little or nothing so far. (Not you mmell. Some other posters.)
Re: (Score:2)
I would tend to agree. The brain-computer interfaces that exist to this point are almost entirely ones providing speech to those who had lost that capacity.
Re: (Score:1)
What Neuralink will do this year is improve the quality of life for some paralyzed people, and you utter shitheads whining about Musk can sit down and shut the fuck up and be happy for people for whom medical science has had little or nothing so far. (Not you mmell. Some other posters.)
Came here to say something along those lines. You said it better than I could have.
Re: (Score:2)
It's still worthwhile considering the way this might eventually develop.
OTOH, any unpleasant developments that aren't totally accidental will probably not show up this decade. And possibly not the next.
To me it seems like the push as it developes will be to connect this with some version of virtual reality. Untill that is sold to people, nobody is going to be trying for any of the less pleasant possibilities, and by that point we can hope there'll be lots of different versions.
Re: Sure, what could possibly go wrong? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Oh absolutely, the technology will benefit disabled people. However it is also possible to note that Musk has the gravitas of a deranged toddler and probably would be fine developing it to be used to interrogate or monitor and control "prisoners". He is no Bill Gates.
Re: (Score:1)
Well, I'm not sure about the Apollo 1 accident. There are two questions that I am sure others have answered satisfactorily but I have not seen those answers.
First, did NASA have any information they did not act upon which indicated that there was an unnecessary risk in their design?
All of these aspects are critical. If they lacked the information, it becomes a different scenario than if they had the necessary insight.
Likewise, there is a difference between not acting and acting but in a way that ended up no
It's all about the 63rd rule of acquisition. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yes. They had the information. They just didn't connect the dots. That pure oxygen atmospheres at STP are excedingly prone to fires was, I think, known in the 1940's. Probably earlier. 1900 wouldn't really surprise me, though I think that's probably a little early. Antoine Lavoisier had the basics by 1779, and knew that even a little excess Oxygen would increase the intensity of fire and ease of ignition.
Re: (Score:2)
If they had the information and nobody there connected the dots, then it was almost certainly an avoidable accident but it doesn't quite reach the standard of willful reckless endangerment. It does, however, constitute extreme negligence on their part for not properly understanding their own data. We would certainly have reached the moon, and possibly in less time, if they'd been thorough at the start, even though it would have meant slowing the initial development down a little.
Re: (Score:1)
A fairly likely possibility is that some nations will require a neural interface in all new-borns and their society will become more efficient because interfacing with computers is faster, and so they out-compete the USA economically. The USA wouldn't be able to dictate it, only do it voluntarily, creating two classes of people, the "implanted" and non-implanted. That's a recipe for tension.
Re: (Score:2)
The brain develops rapidly at that age. It would be difficult to ensure that the brain-computer interface wouldn't cause damage.
I am going to assume that an early issue with the brain rejecting electrodes after a while has been fixed, given that deep brain implants are used.
There will likely be a third class of Americans. Since we know the brain was larger in humans, prior to around 12,000 years ago. It shrank because co-operation (and possibly a high birth mortality rate) meant smaller skulls had an advant
Re: (Score:1)
> The brain develops rapidly at that age. It would be difficult to ensure that the brain-computer interface wouldn't cause damage.
Dictators aren't afraid to experiment on their population. And as long as the interface area isn't a critical function or area, the brain can generally find a way to adapt.
Re: (Score:1)
It certainly does not.
I have no idea where this oft-stated maxim that progress cannot exist without risk comes from
Many very useful inventions came to be without any real risk to human life. I don't think anyone was ever put at risk over the invention of the transistor.
A very small amount of progress requires risk.
Chip the CEO (Score:1)
Why shouldn't Musk be the one volunteering to be the test subject? Never ask of others what you're unwilling to do yourself.
Why should he? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why shouldn't Musk be the one volunteering to be the test subject? Never ask of others what you're unwilling to do yourself.
Because he has no medical need?
Are you suggesting that people who invent new medicines and surgical procedures should undergo those procedures first?
It's meant to give paralysis victims the ability to manipulate objects in the real world.
The invention is literally aimed at reducing suffering. To be fair, installing the invention involves some risk and some suffering, but the end result is an overall reduction of suffering. It will increase the quality of life for quadra- and para- plegics.
Or are you suggesting that Musk is a bad person, deserving of punishment? For developing an invention that helps paralysis victims?
Why exactly did you post this?
Re:Chip the CEO (Score:5, Insightful)
aerogems trolled thusly:
Why shouldn't Musk be the one volunteering to be the test subject? Never ask of others what you're unwilling to do yourself.
So, by your logic, the CEO of a company that develops an artificial heart should volunteer to have it implanted into his own chest, regardless of how healthy his heart is, because of a general leadership principle that you have completely misapplied here ... ?
Musk Wall Street gaslighting (Score:1)
"Musk told the Wall Street Journal that Neuralink hoped to implant its device in human brains sometime in 2022."
LOL, so in another 15 years or so, or until another company figures out how to do it and Musk can copy them.
I wonder if receiving an implant requires an NDA or the implant itself addresses that issue? One thing we know for sure, it will not use LIDAR, until it does of course.
Brain implants are an interesting concept, of course, just not if Elon Musk, the Trump of Silicon Valley, is involved.
Why are the brilliant ones always insane? (Score:2)
Self-driving human .01! (Score:3)
Cue up the beta test list! It's time for auto-pilot, human edition .01!
carpal tunnel (Score:2)
I have signs of "carpal tunnel" and am hoping they'll perfect this before it grows too painful.
Re: (Score:2)
Carpal tunnel has noting to do with the brain. It's local inflammation in your wrist.
Re: (Score:2)
I meant using the mind to interact with the computer instead of using hands to interact with the computer.
Re: (Score:2)
Ah! OK
Good plan
Re: (Score:2)
Bad way to hope. Use wrist braces. This thing is not only over a decade away from approval for non-experimental use on humans, it requires quite intrusive brain surgery to install. O, it also won't be cheap.
If you're going to hope for magic solutions, hope for something that can read the magnetic or electric signals that your brain emits, and that you can learn to use in less than a month. It's unlikely, but for a low bandwidth signal it might be possible. Without brain surgery. (I'm counting the ones
Re: (Score:1)
There is research into non-intrusive and minimally-intrusive sensors.
Bill gates beat him long ago (Score:2)
Gives new meaning to the phrase "bleeding edge" (Score:2)
But I'd totally sign up for this if I developed some kind of paralysis, or motor control issues, or some other debilitating condition that limited my communication.
Who wouldn't want to plug in their brain (Score:2)
directly into the internet? Seriously though, the internet is intrusive enough as it is. Think about how bad staring at your phone 24/7 is, now imagine your phone is in your head.
What Voltage (Score:3)
Sorry, my implant did it (Score:2)
The new excuses for the 21st century.
Great... (Score:2)
Great, now we will have self driving humans - what could possibly go wrong?
Why was it that a Tesla? (Score:2)
Unless he moves to China ... (Score:2)
Unless he moves to China ...he's not going to get it past the ethics committee ...oh he's moved to Texas where a virus has more rights than women
Vaporware (Score:1)