Science/Tech

Can Elon Musk's Neuralink Brain Chip Cure Blindness?

By Corazon Victorino | Update Date: Mar 29, 2024 01:55 AM EDT
Why is Elon Musk Using Ketamine?

(Photo : Steve Jurvetson from Menlo Park, USA / Wikimedia Commons)

Elon Musk has made bold claims regarding the potential of Neuralink's latest breakthrough, saying that the company's innovative brain-computer chip, dubbed "Blindsight," could serve as a groundbreaking solution for blindness.

Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the renowned entrepreneur and visionary revealed that Neuralink had achieved significant progress in restoring sight in blind monkeys through its cutting-edge brain chip technology.

Musk expressed confidence in the capabilities of the Blindsight implant, noting its ability to enable monkeys to regain vision.

He emphasized that while the initial resolution may resemble "early Nintendo graphics," future advancements could surpass normal human vision.

"Resolution will be low at first, like early Nintendo graphics, but ultimately may exceed normal human vision," Musk said, according to the Independent.

Addressing safety concerns, Musk reassured the public that no monkeys had suffered severe harm or fatalities from Neuralink devices. He even reiterated his company's commitment to ethical and responsible innovation.

The unveiling of Blindsight follows Neuralink's earlier milestone with Telepathy, which is designed to enable users to control computers using their minds.

Previous reports said a quadriplegic patient successfully manipulated a computer mouse cursor through the brain-computer interface technology.

Neuralink's groundbreaking initiatives have garnered regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), paving the way for pioneering trials, Euronews reported.

Neuralink's revolutionary procedure involves implanting 64 flexible threads onto specific brain regions responsible for movement intention.

These threads, thinner than a human hair, facilitate the recording and transmission of brain signals to a dedicated app, enabling the decoding of movement intentions.

Powered by a wireless rechargeable battery, the implant represents a remarkable fusion of neuroscience and technology, offering hope for individuals with neurological conditions such as paralysis and blindness.

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