What does this mean for all of us? Biotech entrepreneur and Gen.T honouree Dean Ho provides his two cents
Imagine being able to control your smartphone or computer with your mind. That day may be one step closer thanks to a breakthrough by Neuralink, the brain chip company founded by Elon Musk.
In a post on X, Musk announced that a human volunteer received the chip on Sunday, January 28, and is said to recover well after surgery.
According to the tech billionaire, the initial results show promising neuron spike detection. Neurons are the cells that form the brain and nervous system. These spikes occur when neurons communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals.
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In response to the news, Gen.T honouree Dean Ho, who is director of The Institute for Digital Medicine at the National University of Singapore, says, “The initial descriptions indicate that the device can measure the activity of the brain cells or neurons. The next step may be using these signals to power prosthetic devices to enable mobility.”
Neuralink aims to connect human brains to computers to help tackle complex neurological conditions. Several rival firms have already implanted similar devices.
“Many people are working on brain-computer interface (BCI) to help people address conditions ranging from blindness to paralysis. The subsequent work by the company will likely look at the efficacy and durability of the technology,” adds Ho.
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