Can the brain also connect to devices? Musk's brain-computer interface device is coming

Figure 1: This is an external brain module being developed by Musk’s brain-computer interface company Neuralink, which can wirelessly receive information sent by threads embedded in the brain

Neuralink, a startup founded by American serial entrepreneur Elon Musk, which is secretly developing brain-computer interfaces, has recently shown the public for the first time many technologies it has developed over the past two years. The company's ultimate goal is to implant brain-computer interface devices in paralyzed patients so that they can control their mobile phones or computers with their thoughts.

Neuralink’s first major advance is the development of flexible “threads” that are less likely to damage the brain than the materials currently used for brain-computer interfaces. These threads also create the possibility of transmitting larger amounts of data, according to a white paper published by Musk and Neuralink. The summary states that the system could include “up to 3,072 electrodes per array, distributed across 96 threads.”

The threads are about 4 to 6 microns wide, thinner than a human hair. In addition to developing the threads, another major breakthrough for Neuralink is the development of a machine that can automatically embed the threads. Musk made a large-scale presentation of Neuralink's research on Tuesday night, although he said it was not just for hype.

Musk said: "The main reason for doing this demonstration is to recruit talent." He called on people to actively submit job applications. Neuralink President Max Hodak also took the stage to admit that he was not sure at first that "this technology is a good idea," but Musk convinced him that it is possible.

In an interview with The New York Times, Neuralink scientists said that in the future they hope to penetrate the skull with a laser beam instead of drilling holes. The white paper states that early experiments will be conducted by neuroscientists at Stanford University. Musk declared: "We hope to conduct clinical validation in human patients by the end of next year."

During a question-and-answer session after the presentation, Musk revealed something the rest of the team didn’t know about: a monkey that could control a computer with its brain.

Figure 2: Neuralink’s system embedded in a laboratory rat

Musk said: "Nueuralink is not suddenly going to have this neural network and start taking over people's brains. Ultimately, I want to achieve symbiosis with artificial intelligence (AI). Therefore, he hopes to create a technology that can "merge with AI." He later added: "Our brain is hidden in a tank, and the tank is our skull. Our goal is to read neural impulses from the brain."

The first paralyzed person to receive a brain implant that allowed him to control a computer cursor with his mind was Matthew Nagle. In 2006, Nagle, who suffers from a spinal cord injury, achieved the feat of playing table tennis using only his mind. He told The New York Times that it took only four days to master the basic move.

Since then, paralyzed patients with brain-computer interface devices implanted in their brains have been able to focus on objects and move robotic arms in the lab as part of scientific research. The system used by Nagle and others is called BrainGate and was originally developed at Brown University.

Neuralink President Hodak said in the report: "Neural connections did not come out of thin air. This technology has a long history of academic research. In a sense, we are building on the shoulders of giants." However, none of the existing technologies meet Neuralink's goal of directly reading neural spikes in a minimally invasive way.

The system demonstrated today, if it functions properly, could be a significant upgrade over older technology. BrainGate relies on the Utah Array, an array of rigid needles that supports up to 128 electrode channels.

Not only does the Utah array have fewer channels than Neuralink promised, which in turn means less data is received from the brain, but it is also stiffer than Neuralink's threads. This is a problem for long-term functionality: the brain moves in the skull, but the array's stiff needles do not, which can cause damage. The thin polymer Neuralink is using could solve this problem.

Figure 3: Tiny threads can be attached to fingertips

However, precisely because it is so flexible, Neuralink's technology is more difficult to implant than the Utah Array. To solve this problem, the company has developed "a neurosurgical robot that can automatically insert 6 threads (192 electrodes) per minute." In the photo, it looks a bit like a cross between a microscope and a sewing machine. It also avoids blood vessels, which may prompt less inflammatory reactions in the brain.

For Musk, the core issue with interacting with AI is actually "bandwidth." The technology Musk is developing can receive information faster than it can be output through voice or thumb. Therefore, his goal is that this system will allow humans to communicate directly with machines with their brains more quickly.

Figure 4: Neuralink’s machine for automatic thread insertion

Finally, the white paper says Neuralink has developed a custom chip that is better able to read, clean, and amplify signals from the brain. Currently, it can only transmit data over a wired connection (using USB-C), but the ultimate goal is to create a system that can work wirelessly.

That goal will be embodied in a product Neuralink calls the "N1 sensor," which is designed to be embedded in the human body and transmit data wirelessly. It may read fewer neurons than the current USB-based prototype. Neuralink intends to implant four sensors, three in the motor area and one in the body sensor area. It will connect wirelessly to an external device mounted behind the ear and controlled via an iPhone app.

Hodak added: "We have to go through the whole FDA review process, and we're not there yet." Neuralink's chief surgeon Matthew MacDougall said on Tuesday that safety is the primary goal and that ultimately they hope it will be "more like Lasik" eye surgery, including eliminating the need for general anesthesia. Although the first patients will not have this non-invasive experience.

However, the company is still conducting studies on mice to ensure the stability of the system. But if successful, the technology could have a wide range of applications. By implanting a "high-bandwidth" brain connection through robotic surgery, using flexible thin "threads" to connect, it is possible to record the activity of many neurons, and we hope to get better and more precise results than previous brain-computer interfaces.