Digital and Physical Autonomy

This January, the team at Neuralink implanted its first patient with its brain-computer interface (BCI)…

To the surprise of many, it worked.

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s private company that has been trailblazing a radical new design for a brain-computer interface (BCI), has had quite a remarkable year.

Despite the cries of the naysayers, the first-ever Neuralink implant was a success. After a short period of calibrating the device, the patient was able to move a cursor on a computer screen, send text messages, and even play first-person shooter games like Call of Duty.

By April, he was playing online chess and Civilization VI, a turn-based strategy game. The patient, a quadriplegic, has had his life transformed with the technology.

He now embodies Neuralink’s goal to restore “digital autonomy” in people who have suffered a spinal cord injury or who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

This technology, even in its early stages, is already changing lives…

Designed From the Ground Up

This is accomplished by surgically implanting Neuralink’s N1 implant into the patient’s brain.

Source:  Neuralink

The “threads” as indicated in the graphic above, are comprised of 64 extremely thin strands with a distribution of 1,024 electrodes used to record neural activity.  These threads are surgically placed into the precentral gyrus region of the brain.

Source:  Neuralink

In humans, the precentral gyrus is the location of the primary cortex of the brain, responsible for sending signals down the spinal cord for hard movement.  For example, it’s signals from the precentral gyrus that control movement in our hands and fingers.

The remarkable feat of the insertion of these 64 threads is accomplished through another Neuralink invention, the R1 surgical robot.

Source:  Neuralink

The development of the R1 was critical to the Neuralink system given the need for precision when implanting the threads.

Neuralink employs artificial intelligence software to decode and understand how specific neural activity equates to a desired action in a computing system.  That’s what the calibration is for – mapping out the neural activity of specific actions.

Neuralink began recruiting for its clinical trial in September of last year after receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval through an investigational device exemption (IDE) in May 2023.

Since implanting its first patient in January, Neuralink implanted its second patient this August who has been using his newfound superpowers to use computer-aided design (CAD) software to design three-dimensional objects. This is likely to evolve into a career, something previously thought to be impossible.

And yet, as with all Musk-related projects, there is always more to the story.  There are always far bigger ambitions and objectives than what is initially on display.  And we just got of view of what that looks like for Neuralink.

Physical Autonomy

A few days ago, Neuralink announced that it received approval for a new feasibility trial known as its CONVOY Study, which is designed to use the Neuralink N1 implant to control an assistive robotic arm.

Neuralink isn’t just about digital autonomy, it’s enabling physical autonomy.  And if you haven’t figured it out yet, the end goal isn’t just about controlling an assistive robotic arm.  In time, it will evolve into controlling an entire humanoid robot… Just with human thought.

Telepathy.

So, I’ll ask you this, do you think it’s a coincidence that Tesla has developed an extremely lifelike robotic hand with 22 degrees of freedom (DOF) capable of performing something as complex as playing a piano?

Just imagine, with this technology, someone who is a quadriplegic could safely live by themselves thanks to their ability to control, just through thought, an Optimus humanoid robot.

Not only has Tesla manifested AI through Optimus, Neuralink has developed a system that will, in time, be able to manifest the physical actions of a synthetic being.

I’m sure that many of us are thinking that this is decades away from becoming reality.  But for my regular readers, you’ll already know that it’s right around the corner.  It’s happening so much faster than anyone thinks.

Just take a look at the short video clip below of Tesla’s latest version of Optimus.  It’s the first clip made public of Optimus with the new 22-degrees-of-freedom hand.

Source:  Tesla

This might be a relatively simple feat for us humans, but this is a remarkable achievement for a humanoid robot controlled by an artificial neural network.

This technology has evolved so quickly and is already capable of the dexterity and fine motor skills to catch a ball thrown to it.

The Future of BCI Technology

The link between Neuralink and Tesla’s Optimus is obvious.  Tesla has developed the world’s most advanced robotic hand. Why would Neuralink not work with it?  And why would Neuralink not extend that telepathic control to the entire robot?

After all, we’ve already seen how successful Neuralink is as a tool to bring a higher degree of autonomy back to limited-mobility patients.

Although it’s still in the relatively early stages of development, the potential applications for other mobility aids – namely the prosthetics industry – are incredible to think about.

And while the initial goals of Neuralink are to develop the technology for those most in need of these forms of autonomy, Musk hasn’t been shy about the eventuality of using brain-computer interface technology in humans without spinal cord injuries.

The technology is just as applicable to augment any human brain and remove friction in today’s current computer interfaces.

I know the idea of a non-essential brain surgery is an uncomfortable thought to many. But I am certain Neuralink will eventually make this available to those brave enough – or crazy enough – to take the leap.

We can just think of the implant as a way of scaling up the way someone interacts with the world.

People with limited mobility are getting a new level of autonomy otherwise out of reach. But there will be those who want the Neuralink implant simply for a more seamless way of “linking up” with computing systems.

An implanted BCI would make anyone far more efficient working with computing systems.  Even gamers would be capable of gameplay not possible through the use of a keyboard, mouse, or game controller.

The technology is just as applicable in industrial settings when unstructured environments or tasks might be more easily accomplished through “telepathic” control over a team of robots or machinery.

And the applications for future warfare, while frightening, seem quite obvious.  Imagine being able to control a platoon of humanoid robots or a swarm of drones on a battlefield.

The applications are seemingly endless.

And while Neuralink continues to keep a low profile, this is a company to watch.  Its pace of development is unmatched in the BCI industry, and this latest news of the CONVOY Study is opening up an entirely new set of possibilities.

Regards,

Jeff