Elon Musk’s Neuralink desires to implant chips in people’s brains.
At a spectacular “show and tell” event on Wednesday night, Musk declared for at least the third time that his business, Neuralink, which is creating implants that might link the human brain to computers, is getting close to human trials.
With the Food and Drug Administration, he claimed to have submitted “most” of the necessary documentation. He stated that he plans to begin conducting human studies in about six months. Musk said on Twitter on Wednesday, “We are now sure that the Neuralink device is ready for people.”
In spite of this, experts have questioned Musk’s claims given the growing body of research on brain implants. Since Musk has previously stated that studies will start in 2020 and later, in 2022, it is unclear whether the FDA is now taking a request to start human trials into consideration.
The ceremony, which was a month late, occurs during a busy period for the richest man in the world. In late October, Musk paid $44 billion to purchase Twitter, and he has since asked that employees there pledge to be “hardcore,” sharing a picture of a late-night meeting with engineers. Tesla is anticipated to deliver its first electric semi-truck on Thursday. In addition, he runs SpaceX, a rocket firm.
Some experts and investors are concerned that Musk is overworked. Others pointed out that Musk has a history of making ambitious timetables that he fails to reach.
Deadlines for launching a rocket to Mars have been missed by SpaceX. Despite its early 2021 production target, Tesla has not yet delivered the electric pickup truck, known as the Cybertruck, to consumers, despite boasting impenetrable glass that cracked onstage.
On the occasion, Musk displayed a video in which he said a monkey was mentally manipulating a computer mouse and keyboard. Animal rights organizations have taken issue with Neuralink’s use of animals in testing and have accused the corporation of torturing animals through “sloppy experiments” that have led to infections, convulsions, paralysis, and internal bleeding.
According to Ryan Merkley, head of research advocacy at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy group, “Elon Musk is essentially a modern-day P.T. Barnum when it comes to Neuralink.” He is a showman who makes grandiose claims while keeping the audience in the dark about the gory specifics.
Research being done by others on how to translate brain impulses into action is comparable to Neuralink technology. Competitor Neuralink Synchron placed its device in a patient for the first time in the US in July. In 2021, the business gained regulatory approval for human trials.
A significant recruitment effort was made at the Wednesday night event. Musk praised the positions available at the business and said that biology or neuroscience knowledge is not required to work for his brain implant start-up.
When you consider the abilities required to make Neuralink function, he claimed that many of them are also necessary to operate a contemporary wristwatch or phone.
After Musk’s presentation, University of Pennsylvania assistant professor and medical ethics specialist Anna Wexler expressed reservations and queries regarding Neuralink on Twitter.
Musk, who gave data and thought about the problems Neuralink faces, said that the group “still lacked a nuanced appreciation of the huge scientific hurdles that lay ahead.”
Wexler said that Musk would have to fight hard to convince federal officials to approve Neuralink, which would take some time.
She tweeted, “Get your popcorn ready!” I believe Elon Musk and the FDA will have several years of highly public spats. Elon Musk has a history of disobeying governmental speech limits, and the FDA has several restrictions on speech for device producers.