Elon Musk's Neuralink will start implanting chips in people in the next six months

Elon Musk, as part of a speech on Show and Tell, announced that his company Neuralink, which deals with the interface a brain-computer that can implant one of its devices into someone's head within the next six months. And sometime in the future, he himself will be implanted with a chip, the billionaire added.

Musk noted that the company has already submitted most of the documents required for human clinical trials to the Office. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates medical devices in the United States States.

Neuralink's goal is to create a device that can be implanted in the head and used to control a computer with brain activity. Back in 2019, Musk revealed that the company was testing the technology on monkeys, and last year Neuralink released a video, on which the primate plays pong literally with the power of thought.

This year, the monkeys are back to showcase progress. In the presentation video, one of the primates was able to type a few words with his implant by focusing on the highlighted words and letters on a laptop screen (video from 4:25). Monkeys have also been shown to be trained to power devices in their heads while sitting under a wireless charging adapter hidden in a tree branch.

The Neuralink devices themselves are small, with several flexible "threads" to be inserted into the brain. The implantation process takes about 15 minutes and is performed by a robotic system. “It's like replacing part of your skull with a smartwatch for lack of a better analogy,” Musk said.

Neuralink engineers are now using their insights to develop treatments that can help improve or restore vision, as well as restore mobility in people with paralysis. On the technical side, the company aims to ensure that the device itself can be easily upgraded in the future.