N1 Link, the first chip in the human brain

Neuralink continues to raise funds, and is preparing for the first human trials. Musk’s company, founded in 2016, aims to develop brain implants that connect the human brain with electronic devices via broadband, making human-machine interaction immediate and automatic. The round of Series C investments, announced these days, was conducted by Vy Capital of Dubai, and raised 205 million dollars from various investors, including Google Ventures, reaching a total of 363 million dollars, as reported by the Crunchbase startup trailer. The first objective of the experimentation on humans concerns a device aimed at quadriplegic people, who have no possibility of interaction with normal devices. “We want to help these people regain their digital independence by allowing users to interact with their computers or phones over broadband and in the most natural way possible” writes Neuralink in a post on his website announcing the success of the latest round of investments. , explaining that the funds will be used to bring the first product to market.The device has so far been tested on pigs and monkeys: in February Neuralink announced the success of an experiment that allowed a small primate to play the video game Pong with the thought. The first product intended for humans will be called N1 Link, according to the developers it will be completely invisible once implanted, and will transmit data over a wireless connection. Elon Musk called it “a Fitbit that connects directly to the brain via tiny wires”, envisioning a not-so-distant future in which man and machine will be one. And using one of his tried and tested hyperboles, he said, in a discussion on Clubhouse recently, that “people are already definable as cyborgs, because most or all of us have a digital layer connected thanks to phones, computers and wearables.” This “digital layer” is also made up of apps and social networks through which we communicate with the world, only to do so today we have to type our contents. With Neuralink implants, just think about them. “With a direct neural interface,” Musk explained, “we will increase the speed of interaction between our cerebral cortex and our digital layer by a thousand or even 10 thousand times.” In the long run, he added, it is not difficult to think that Neuralink can allow humans to communicate telepathically, a sort of “AirDrop” of content from one brain to another. And, even, give the possibility to save and download them by transferring them, after death, to a robot or another person. “But here”, he admitted, “we are entering science fiction. Musk with his Neuralink is not the only one working on direct interfaces between the human brain and technology. There is Blackrock Neurotech, currently a world leader in the sector, which has recently raised another substantial round of funding and is the protagonist of advanced clinical studies, such as devices that allow people with various forms of paralysis to move robotic limbs. with the power of thought. Also in Australia, the biotech Synchron achieved its first successes with an external implant (therefore not installed directly inside the skull like that of Neuralink) which allowed two people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to write texts, send messages and use shops. and online banking through thinking.