What is Neuralink?
Elon Musk started a [[neurotechnology::Any electronic device that helps check or control the activity of nerve cells.]] company called Neuralink in 2016, and they're working on a special kind of technology called a brain-computer [[interface::An electrical circuit, connection, or program which joins one device or system to another.]] named 'the Link.' The idea is to make tiny electronic chips that can be implanted in the brain, connecting it to [[artificial intelligence::Technology that allows computers to think and solve problems like humans.]].
Neuralink thinks these devices could help treat diseases and make us smarter and faster. These implants can also read and save information about what's happening in the brain.
Recently, Neuralink successfully put one of these chips into a person's brain.
How did the chip-implanting operation go?
On Sunday, doctors put a chip in someone’s brain, and Elon Musk says the person is doing well. The chip is responding to signals from brain cells called spikes.
These spikes are how cells use electricity and chemicals to talk to the brain and the body.Elon Musk got in trouble before for testing Neuralink on animals, as some of them ended up dying because of it.
In one test, a monkey named Pager, who later passed away, was able to play video games using only its mind to move a cursor on a screen.
These tests show that the technology could allow us to control things with our brains, even if our bodies can't move much. The chip could help someone with [[paralysis::The inability to move a part or the whole of one's body.]] use a smartphone just by thinking and doing it faster than someone using their thumbs.
What is Elon Musk's goal with Neuralink?
The company wants to link human brains to computers to help with difficult brain problems. They say their device can understand what the brain is doing so that a person can control a computer or phone just by thinking.
Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to make lives better, according to Musk. Do you agree with his vision? Do you think it's right to put chips in human beings, or could it end up being a disaster? Let us know in the comments.
Quick Revision
Neuralink is Elon Musk’s company that makes tiny brain chips to connect the brain with computers.
The chip can read brain signals and may help treat diseases or make thinking faster.
Doctors recently put a chip into a human, and it is working well.
Tests on animals showed a monkey could play games with its mind, proving it can help people who can’t move.
Musk wants people to control devices by thinking, but some worry it could be risky.
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