Elon Musk comes with another old invention

The mind reader of Neuralink, a company of Elon Musk, uses wires that are thinner than hair to absorb brain activity. The start-up presented the first details about the device on Wednesday.

The wires, which are about three times as thin as human hair, must be placed in the owner’s brain. Because they are flexible, they must also be less risky than current brain implants.

The Neuralink reader must capture neuronal activity from an owner and transfer it to a computer. In this way the computer can be operated by just thinking.

Existing devices make it possible to send simple computer commands with the brain. In 2006, a paralyzed man was able to play the Pong game in this way, after practicing for days.

Neuralink says that its technology supports a much higher bandwidth than existing devices, allowing more information to be exchanged.

The technology is primarily intended for people who cannot move their bodies. Musk hopes that in time everyone can use the device to create a “symbiotic bond with artificial intelligence”.

Neuralink has integrated the device into rats to date. In a round of questions, Musk said that during tests “a monkey also operated a computer with his brain”. Before it can be used in humans, the technology must still be approved by the medical watchdog in the United States.

Installing a Neuralink is quite complex according to the company. A special robot has to lay the wires at exactly the right locations by drilling holes in the skull.

The company hopes to simplify the process in the long term. Neuralink chief surgeon Matthew MacDougall believes that installing the device will someday be as easy as laser eye surgery.