We haven’t yet seen what Neuralink’s robotic arm looks like—whether it’s a tabletop research device or something that can be attached to a wheelchair and used at home to complete everyday tasks.
But it is clear that such a device can be helpful. During Orbaugh’s livestream he often asked others to do simple things for him, such as brushing his hair or putting on his hat.
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And using the brain to control robots is certainly possible—though so far only in a controlled research setting. In tests using isolated brain implants conducted at the University of Pittsburgh in 2012, A paralyzed woman named Jan Schuermann The robot was able to use the arm to stack blocks and plastic cups as well as someone who had suffered a severe stroke — impressive, since she couldn’t actually move her own limbs.
There are several practical obstacles to using a robot arm in the home. Developing a robot that is safe and useful. Others, as noted by Wiredis that the calibration steps to maintain control over how 3D objects can move and hold can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
Vision Implants
In September, Neuralink said it had received “breakthrough device designation” from the FDA for a version of its implant that could be used to restore limited vision to blind people. The system, which he calls Blindsight, will work by sending electrical impulses directly into the volunteer’s visual cortex, producing flashes of light called phosphenes. If there are enough spots, they can be organized into a smooth, pixelated form of vision, As previously demonstrated by academic researchers.
FDA designation does not equate to permission to initiate vision studies. Instead, there is a promise by the agency to speed up the review process, including agreements on what the trial should look like. Right now, it’s impossible to predict when the Neuralink vision trial might begin, but it won’t necessarily happen this year.
more money
Neuralink last raised money in 2003, raising about $325 million from investors in a funding round that valued the company at more than $3 billion, according to Pitchbook. Ryan Tanaka, who publishes a podcast about the company, Neura podSays he thinks Neuralink will raise more money this year and the private company’s valuation could triple.
Fighting regulators
Neuralink has attracted a lot of scrutiny News reporters, Animal-rights campaignersAnd that too Fraud investigators In Securities and Exchange Commission. Many questions surround his treatment of test animals and whether he rushed to try the implant in people.
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