Here’s my take on a few things in tech and science that have been happening recently: A Fitbit for your brain. In July, I wrote about brain-machine interfaces, devices that aim to restore neural activity which may have been lost as a result of disease or injury. On Friday, Elon Musk demonstrated his company Neuralink’s latest progress with this technology. In the demo, we see a pig which has the Neuralink device (called the Link) implanted on the surface of it’s brain. When the pig touches something with her snout, the Link is able to detect neural signals from this activity. A device that is able to receive accurate data from brain activity is an important step in being able to use this information to do things like help restore functionality in patients who aren’t able to move their limbs. The device itself is the size of a large coin with thin thread wires coming off it - these wires are covered in electrodes which are used to detect brain signals. Musk described it as “a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires.” Much like today’s wearable devices, the Link can be charged overnight, can connect to your phone via Bluetooth Low Energy and has a wireless range of 5-10 metres. While getting the Link wouldn’t be quite as simple as buying a Fitbit, the procedure to implant the device was likened to laser eye surgery - performed in under an hour without requiring general anaesthetic. The first human clinical trial of the Neuralink device will be starting soon, focusing on people with paraplegia or tetraplegia caused by a spinal cord injury. The purpose of this initial trial is to test efficacy and safety. When discussing the future potential of this technology, Musk enters dystopian territory - he even admits: “this is obviously sounding increasingly like a Black Mirror episode, but well, I guess they’re pretty good at predicting.” In response to a question about the technology being used to save memories, he describes a world in which you can upload and store your memories and then replay them, and eventually download them into a new body or robot body. As the Neuralink device hasn’t yet been tested in humans, this future still seems relatively distant. However, is this really the future we should be aiming for? We use science and technology to advance humanity and society, with the invention of medicines that prolong our lives and new technological capabilities that improve our lives. For me, the distinction is that these are tools we use rather than who we are. Using BMI technology to treat medical conditions makes sense, but I’m less sure about the idea of healthy people physically merging with technology.
Sunday Newsletter (No. 9): Futuristic / creepy health-tech & virtual music events
Sunday Newsletter (No. 9): Futuristic …
Sunday Newsletter (No. 9): Futuristic / creepy health-tech & virtual music events
Here’s my take on a few things in tech and science that have been happening recently: A Fitbit for your brain. In July, I wrote about brain-machine interfaces, devices that aim to restore neural activity which may have been lost as a result of disease or injury. On Friday, Elon Musk demonstrated his company Neuralink’s latest progress with this technology. In the demo, we see a pig which has the Neuralink device (called the Link) implanted on the surface of it’s brain. When the pig touches something with her snout, the Link is able to detect neural signals from this activity. A device that is able to receive accurate data from brain activity is an important step in being able to use this information to do things like help restore functionality in patients who aren’t able to move their limbs. The device itself is the size of a large coin with thin thread wires coming off it - these wires are covered in electrodes which are used to detect brain signals. Musk described it as “a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires.” Much like today’s wearable devices, the Link can be charged overnight, can connect to your phone via Bluetooth Low Energy and has a wireless range of 5-10 metres. While getting the Link wouldn’t be quite as simple as buying a Fitbit, the procedure to implant the device was likened to laser eye surgery - performed in under an hour without requiring general anaesthetic. The first human clinical trial of the Neuralink device will be starting soon, focusing on people with paraplegia or tetraplegia caused by a spinal cord injury. The purpose of this initial trial is to test efficacy and safety. When discussing the future potential of this technology, Musk enters dystopian territory - he even admits: “this is obviously sounding increasingly like a Black Mirror episode, but well, I guess they’re pretty good at predicting.” In response to a question about the technology being used to save memories, he describes a world in which you can upload and store your memories and then replay them, and eventually download them into a new body or robot body. As the Neuralink device hasn’t yet been tested in humans, this future still seems relatively distant. However, is this really the future we should be aiming for? We use science and technology to advance humanity and society, with the invention of medicines that prolong our lives and new technological capabilities that improve our lives. For me, the distinction is that these are tools we use rather than who we are. Using BMI technology to treat medical conditions makes sense, but I’m less sure about the idea of healthy people physically merging with technology.