American entrepreneur Elon Musk spoke about the successful experiment of implanting chips into the pig’s brain, which was carried out by the specialists of the company he created, Neuralink.
According to him, a wireless version of the Neuralink neurointerface was implanted in the brains of two individuals and then extracted without harm to animals.
“Over the past year, we have simplified our systems a lot: they now fit into a chip that takes up less space than a coin and can be completely hidden during implantation. It will completely merge with the skull bone and will be invisible from the outside, working all day without recharging, ”the entrepreneur said during a press conference at the headquarters of Neuralink. The broadcast was conducted on a YouTube channel.
Musk noted that the installed chips allow scientists to monitor the activity of the tactile centers of the animal’s brain via a wireless communication channel, tracking what the pig touches with its snout.
To demonstrate the safety of these devices, neurophysiologists removed an implant from the brain of one of the individuals without damaging its brain. As Musk noted, the second chip has been working in the second animal’s head for several months without causing rejection or other problems. Subsequently, the researchers implanted two chips at once in the brain of one of the pigs, which confirmed the possibility of several devices working in parallel.
In addition, scientists have successfully modified the way multiple neuron circuits work by using implanted chips and electrodes to stimulate the activity of individual nerve cells. This will make it possible in the future to use such devices to combat epilepsy, paralysis and other diseases in which the work of the brain or spinal cord is disrupted.
Earlier in August, Musk explained the capabilities of the brain chips his startup is developing. In particular, he said, with the help of this invention, people with brain damage will be able to restore limb mobility.