When you’re attempting to find out Who created Neuralink, the first question that comes to mind is probably “Elon Musk.” After all, he is the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. But if the answer to the question is “Elon Musk,” you’re in for a surprise. While Musk and his team were behind the development of Neuralink, the company’s president Max Hodak recently announced his resignation via Twitter.
The device transmits live data from the brain of a pig named Gertrude, and researchers say that they’ve been able to use the data to predict her limb position on a treadmill and record her neural activity while snuffling for food. But are these achievements really worth the price tag? Professor Andrew Jackson, a renowned expert in neural interfaces, isn’t convinced. He calls the Neuralink chip “solid engineering” and “mediocre neuroscience.”
Despite this, Musk’s Neuralink venture has received considerable funding from Silicon Valley tech giant Elon Musk. The company aims to implant wireless brain-computer interfaces and cure neurological disorders by fusing human intelligence with artificial intelligence. Musk, who also founded SpaceX, frequently warns about the dangers of artificial intelligence, has a lot to gain from this venture. It is unclear what exactly his goal is, but he is passionate about the future of neuroscience.
A Neuralink system consists of a customized Neuralink ASIC that contains 256 individually programmable amplifiers. The device connects to the implant behind the patient’s ear, via a Bluetooth receiver. Eventually, the system will be able to stream neural data to a base station via the Internet. It is possible to connect up to three Neuralink implants at the same time, with each implant communicating with up to 256 others.
In the PLOS One article, Max Hodak credited Miguel A.L. Nicolelis at the Duke University lab for helping develop the technology. This was the brainchild of a team of scientists, led by Miguel A.L. Nicolelis. Both men worked in Miguel Nicolelis’ lab. They subsequently used their technology to develop neural networks and eventually use them in their research. It was the work of these two scientists and other scientists at Duke University that led to the creation of this breakthrough.