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Would an Elon Musk chip be implanted in his brain?
It sounds like science fiction, but it is already a reality for three pigs: a chip that people could use to control computers with their minds in the future.
Tesla boss and billionaire Elon Musk (49) presented his brain chip in a video conference on Friday. He showed three pigs in which chips from his startup Neuralink were planted. Nerve impulses from the trunk of a pig named Gertrude were transmitted to a computer via a wireless Bluetooth connection.
“It’s like a Fitbit to your skull,” Musk explained. Fitbits are fitness bracelets that measure body signals and sports activities.
The American businessman had already presented a prototype of the chip last year. Now it introduced improvements to the coin-sized sensor. It has a diameter of 23 millimeters, is 8 millimeters thick, and is placed on the skull.
The chip’s ultra-thin wires are supposed to be connected to nerve cells and thus read and send neurological signals. The goal: to digitize the brain.
Photo: AFP PHOTO / NEURALINK
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/photos/einem-schwein-namens-gertrude-wurde-der-chip-eingepflanzt-die-gehirn-aktivitaet-des-tiers-war-danach- -201514481-72639198 / image / 3.image.jpg “/> The chip was implanted in a pig named Gertrude. The animal’s brain activity was then displayed on a monitor.Photo: AFP PHOTO / NEURALINK
In the long term, Musk envisions that his device can be implanted in the skull of anyone who wants it with a simple operation. According to Musk, implanting it into the skull only takes 30 minutes, without general anesthesia.
Possible areas of application: for example, the treatment of pain, visual disturbances, hearing loss, insomnia or brain damage, as well as spinal cord injuries. In the future, it would be conceivable to use the technology to tie the injured nerve tissue together so that people could walk again, Musk said. It did not provide any information on the time horizon. “Neurons are like wires. And you need an electronic device to solve an electronic problem. “
Photo: AFP PHOTO / NEURALINK
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/photos/bei-der-implantation-wird-die-schaedeldecke-geoeffnet-ein-kleines-stueck-ausgeschnitte-und-dort-der-ch- 201514518-72639516 / image / 3.image.jpg “/> During implantation, the top of the skull is cut open, a small piece is cut out, and the chip is inserted there.Photo: AFP PHOTO / NEURALINK
Photo: AFP PHOTO / NEURALINK