In its quest to establish a brain-computer interface, Elon Musk says his company Neuralink has successfully implanted a device into a monkey’s brain.
The billionaire told private social app Clubhouse that Neuralink has a implanted a wireless device into a monkey’s brain. He hastens to add that the monkey is “not unhappy”.
The device is made up of more than 3 000 electrodes capable of monitoring around 1 000 neurons.
Although the stated aim of the experiments is to help people with brain and spinal injuries, Musk reveals that he hopes the monkey would be able to play “mind pong” with another implanted monkey.
In August last year, Musk demonstrated a pig with an implanted device that could measure the sensory neurons and display what the pig is smelling. Musk showed other applications for the technology, showing how a device can be used to predict the position of a pig’s limbs while using a treadmill.
The devices can also be used to write information into the brain, with each electrode able to influence millions of neurons, Musk says.