Elon Musk has us accustomed to eccentric proposals: space travel, his own city, futuristic transportation, social networks-banks and even the end of human work, but if there is a project that reigns over all, – in eccentricity and futurism -, A bet that marks the career of the visionary tycoon is Neuralink.
Tesla or SpaceX, Twitter or the new X, a cybertruck or the colonization of Mars, nothing compares to the first Neuralink implant in humans. Soon, a volunteer likely to have ALS—Stephen Hawking’s tragic illness— will allow Robot R1 to open his skull and introduce the N1 Implant into his brain, which will record his brain activity for six years.
The trial, officially called Prime Study, aims to evaluate the safety and initial effectiveness of these devices in helping paralyzed individuals control external devices such as computers. The procedure, as reported Bloombergalready has FDA (Medicine Federation) approval so it is expected to start really soon.
We talk, at first, about a magnanimous and altruistic objective: to recover movement and talk about people who have lost it. In this sense, there are already similar advances and devices: neurogaming or an electrode helmet to play video games with the mind or similar chips—although less invasive—that have allowed ALS patients to speak at 62 words per minute.
But, How far can Neuralink go? Talking, moving, or drawing a picture with your mind seems like just an initial test. If the prosthesis works properly, the company could redirect the brand with larger long-term goals. There has been talk of telepathy, of merging the mind with AI, also – in a more mystical way – of the meaning of existence, or of turning the human into a cyborg.
If a study in rats, in a different device, was able to specify what they imagined, what will we discover in humans? The machine-brain connection is an unstoppable fact, but what possible consequences will this Neuralink patient zero face?
Previous tests of Neuralink with monkeys terrified the public
Hypotheses cannot ignore what already happened to the first test subjects. Elon Musk alluded that those monkeys that suffered so much in the experiments were older and would die anywaybut the revealed documents did not say the same.
The description of the scientists in charge was graphic in many of these experiments: vomiting, bloody diarrhea and animals trying to tear off the implant. Were they a small percentage? Was the prototype poorly prepared and has it already advanced? Would you get a chip knowing it? And in exchange for the promise of being able to speak again?
Who can apply for Neuralink’s first human trial?
People with quadriplegia due to a spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), who are over 22 years of age and have a reliable caregiver, may qualify to participate in the Neuralink project, except those with active implants, a history of seizures, need of regular MRIs or treatment with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
The study will last approximately 6 years with regular follow-ups, and involves both home and clinic visits. Compensation will be provided for expenses related to the study.
After that time, more patients may arrive, and after even more, we may all want to have an N1 Implant in our heads. Only time will tell. While ethical, logistical questions and the eternal scientific debate about progress continue. Neuralink is about to begin what could tip the balance in the figure of Elon Musk: visionary, eccentric or irresponsible?