Reporting by XinZhiyuan
Editor: Yuan Xie La Yan
For three or four years, Musk's Neuralink has been a popular company for public attention. From obscurity to public attention, how did Neuralink do it in a short period of time? Will it fulfill its commitment to the public in 2022?
Musk has always been known for his high profile. Not only does he own Tesla and SpaceX, he's an off-the-beaten-path billionaire.
Musk also owns Neuralink, a company specializing in neural interface technology. Neuralink has been exploring how to install a device into the human brain that can not only record brain activity but also mimic the brain's behavior.
Musk jokingly refers to this technique as a "human brain plug-in."
Musk and his Neuralink
Although musk in the public impression always likes to "draw a big pie", these technologies really have recent application scenarios in medical treatment.
In June 2016, when Neuralink was founded, Musk explored a science fiction concept: Neural lace (neural web) – a seamless, stable whole-brain interface that can communicate directly with the brain.
Musk claims that Neuralink devices could one day achieve "AI symbiosis", and the human brain will be integrated with artificial intelligence.
In 2019, Neuralink unveiled the device
In July 2019, Neuralink announced a brain-computer interface system developed by the company.
The team's paper, published in the journal Medical Internet Research, demonstrates a technique called thread.
These "threads" are thinner than a human hair (4-6 microns wide) and are a series of tiny electrodes and sensors that can be used to transmit information when implanted in the brain.
Responsible for implanting these "threads" deep in the brain is a robot like a "sewing machine" that automatically avoids blood vessels.
The system consists of three parts: an extremely delicate polymer probe (inserted into the brain), a neurosurgical robot dedicated to interpolation, and external chips and companion solutions (Neuralink calls customized high-density electronics).
Capable of automatically inserting six wires (containing 192 electrodes) per minute. In the figure, it looks like a cross between a microscope and a sewing machine. Blood vessels can also be avoided when implantation is performed, which may reduce the inflammatory response in the brain.
Among them, the chip will be hung on the human ear in the form of a wearable device and connected to some implanted skull sensors, which will be connected to the cerebral cortex through many very thin and densely arranged "lines".
"Wireless" is embodied in Neuralink's "N1 sensor", which is capable of embedding the human body and transmitting data wirelessly. It can read less neuronal information than the USB-based prototype version.
Neuralink initially intended to implant four sensors, three of which were located in the motion area and one in the somatosensory sensor area. The sensor is able to be connected wirelessly to an external device installed behind the ear, which is battery-powered and controlled via an iPhone app.
In 2020, Neuralink announced the implantation of devices in pig brains
In August 2020, Musk launched another conference to announce Neuralink's blockbuster breakthrough.
Musk said that the most essential brain-computer interface is the "wiring" problem. This time Musk created a magical device only the size of a coin.
The new device is like a Fitbit in the brain, which can be controlled by the app in the mobile phone, and the receptor will look normal, but there is a small wound under the hair.
This time Musk built a device the size of a coin, surgically implanted in the skull, and fully charged for a full day.
During the operation, a skull the size of a coin is removed and glued with "super glue". Then you can walk around after the surgery.
"It's like you have a Fitbit under your skull, but with wires." You can use it for a day during the day and charge it at night.
The implantation method is also very simple, there is a special device, and you can be discharged from the hospital on the same day of implantation.
Bypass the blood vessel during surgery and there will be no particularly noticeable damage.
How exactly is this device used? Musk showed off the healthy piglets that had been implanted in the Neuralink device for two months.
The experiment is mainly after implanting the chip, you can intuitively see the brain activity of the pig, and when the demonstrator touches its nose, the pig's nerves begin to be excited. Under the action of the 1024 electrodes connected to the device, the radio wave signals in his brain are clearly visible.
It is now also possible to implant multiple Neuralink devices into piglets.
Through the brain circuit diagram, the position of the piglet's joints can be predicted, and the actual position is almost exactly the same, and the movement in the piglet's body can be predicted.
In 2021, Neuralink let monkeys with devices implanted in their brains play games with their minds
In April 2021, Musk announced Neuralink's important achievement through video - let monkeys play table tennis games with their minds.
In the experiment, a 9-year-old Rhesus monkey, Payer, had two N1 Links implanted in his head, and the staff lured it with a banana milkshake to play the game.
The motor cortex is part of the brain involved in planning and performing actions, and the researchers implanted a Link device into the brain motor cortex that controls the macaque monkeys' hand and arm regions.
The Link is placed on the left and right sides of the macaque: one on the left side of the motor cortex (which controls the movement of the right body) and the other on the right side of the movement cortex (which controls the left side of the body).
The metal straw under the screen is connected to the milkshake, which can only be sucked while staring at the screen, which allows Parger to focus on the screen and "work" while eating.
At the same time, the staff is also recording the firing of Parger neurons, predicting the movement of the hand by recording which neurons are firing.
In the beginning, Pager has a joystick in his right hand, and through the joystick, it has to move the token into different blocks. After learning the rules, the staff removed the joystick, and Pager only had to imagine in his brain how the joystick should move.
After becoming proficient, the staff withdrew the joystick, and Pager only had to imagine in his brain how the joystick should move - playing a game of ping-pong "all by thought".
As always, Musk made a grander prediction about the Neuralink update: Paralyzed patients would operate their smartphones with their minds faster than their fingers.
Next, through the Neuralink device in the brain and body motor/sensory neuron clusters, the signal will be transmitted and the patient with lower limb paralysis will be able to walk again.
The co-founder left his job and started another job to dig up the right side
Neuralink co-founder Max Hodak announced on Twitter on May 2, 2021 that he had left the company a few weeks ago, but did not specify that he was fired because of disagreement with Musk or the clinical trial was not progressing smoothly.
According to a filing filed by the SEC in July 2021, Hodak has raised more than $47 million from 14 investors for a new company called Science Corp.
While the amount of funding is still far from Neuralink's $363 million, it signals increased competition in the neurotechnology market.
In addition to his own departure, Hodak seems to have taken some technical talent away from Neuralink. Neuralink's longtime director of biology, Alan Mardinly, also recently changed his LinkedIn account, saying he worked at a "secret startup" since July 2021 and left Neuralink in August 2021.
He also posted a link to the science company's job page and advised everyone to "join early" and hinted that he had already joined the company.
Some experts do not buy the "monkey brain control game": the old technology
Experts, on the other hand, were skeptical.
Professor Andrew Jackson of Newcastle University believes that cursor control of monkey brains through computers is nothing new, and technology like Neuralink began its first demonstration in 2002.
Researchers in 2002 were able to let monkeys move their cursors around a computer screen at will, and the technology could also be used on paralyzed people to help them control screens in a similar way.
The idea behind this technology actually dates back to the 1960s.
In 1969, a researcher named Eberhard Fetz connected a needle on a meter to a single neuron in the monkey's brain and found that the monkey could move the needle simply through its brain activity.
Andrew Hires, an assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of California, wasn't surprised that Neuralink was able to achieve this result.
Monkeys are not surfing the web. The monkey may just match the target by moving the cursor, placing a small ball on the screen. The behavior that Pager shows in the video exactly matches what Hills says.
But Musk started hyping monkeys again in 2021. He is a shrewd salesman who is very good at selling and advertising his famous brands.
Insiders also have praise: although it is an old technology, there are also new advances
While neuroscientists say the idea of letting monkeys play video games isn't revolutionary, they praised the design of Neuralink's wireless chip.
In September 2020, Professor Jackson said in an interview, "Neuralink's neural interface technology enables wires (wires) to be inside the skin rather than exposed to the outside of the skin, and such development is a good thing because it reduces the risk of infection."
In the case of animals, these experiments do not involve passing wires (wires) through the skin, so they will bring welfare to the animals. There may also be certain benefits for humans.
Jackson also said that although this is not an earth-shattering experiment, it is an important proof of this concept.
"I wouldn't criticize their experiment for redoing what they've done before, because it's a smart way to validate a new technology." For example, if someone invents a new telescope, it will be meaningful and can be referenced for future generations." Jackson said.
Rylie Green, a bioengineering researcher at Imperial College London, told Insider: "The most commendable thing I see from the video is that macaques are moving freely. I didn't see anything connected to the monkey. It's certainly progressive, and while not super innovative, it's a positive step forward."
Human experiments jump tickets for three years
Musk tweeted in 2021, "In 2022, we will install devices on humans, and brain-computer interfaces will have huge development."
This isn't the first time Musk has talked about plans to implant Neuralink's chips into the human brain.
Musk said in the May 2020 "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast that Neuralink may begin experimenting on humans within a year. He made the same claim in an interview with Clubhouse in February 2021.
In 2019, Musk said the company hopes to implant chips into human patients by the end of 2020.
Experts were skeptical at the time. As part of the safety test, neural interface devices involve implanting them into animal test subjects (usually primates) and placing them for a longer period of time to test their longevity — just like any chip would have to remain in the brains of human patients for life.
"It's a quick process. You just have to wait — wait and see how long the electrodes last. If the goal is to make these electrodes work for decades, then if you don't wait that long, you won't know if these devices are good or not, and whether there is a problem." Jacob Robinson, a neuroengineer at Rice University, told STAT News in 2019.
Experts doubt the promise of "brain-computer interface fusion AI"
Musk also said that in the long run, these chips can promote the integration of artificial intelligence and human consciousness. However, many scientists are skeptical about this.
Although Musk has been promoting Neuralink's current application in medicine, he has always linked brain-computer interface technology to his fear of artificial intelligence. He has said that with Neuralink's technology, human nature can one day achieve symbiosis with artificial intelligence.
Musk said in a 2019 podcast interview that Neuralink's purpose is to solve challenges related to digital superintelligence.
"We can't be smarter than supercomputers. If you can't compete with them, join them." Musk said.
Musk has expressed Neuralink's various quirky promises to strengthen human capabilities. He said in 2020 that people can preserve and reproduce their memories. It is even possible to telepathically drive the car out of the garage.
But many experts have questioned these claims.
"It's not entirely impossible, but the foundations of neuroscience are still unstable. We still know too little about how these structures work in the brain. We can predict where the pig's legs will move on top of the treadmill, which doesn't automatically mean we can learn mind reading too." Professor Andrew Jackson said in a 2020 interview with Insider.
In 2019, Professor Jackson said that a lot of what Musk said about human-brain fusion AI was too ideal, and it was almost the same in the fantasy world.
Musk's blind brain-blowing interface can cure autism
Musk has also said something unfounded about the medical application of the technology. He once said that this technology can overcome autism.
In November 2019, during an AI-related podcast, Musk said neuralink could solve many brain-related diseases in the future. Examples are also given with autism and schizophrenia.
Autism has been classified as a developmental disorder, which is not a disease. According to the Classification of the World Health Organization, schizophrenia is a psychological disorder.
Neuralink's journey has been full of twists and turns, in 2022, can it really achieve successful human experiments? We'll see.
Resources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/neuralink-elon-musk-microchips-brains-ai-2021-2