Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has always said its mission is to “create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.”
The work of Neuralink has stayed relatively concentrated to tech junkies or Musk fans. However, at a press conference held on July 10, Musk teased its newest project. This could be the most significant research and development project of this decade at the bare minimum — if it is successful.
Musk teased during a Neuralink Show and Tell in 2022 that “the first two applications we’re going to aim for in humans are restoring vision, and I think this is notable in that even if someone has never had vision ever like they were born blind — we believe we can still restore vision. The visual part of the cortex is still there. Even if they’ve never seen before, we’re confident they could see.” Blindness is a debilitating condition affecting millions of people worldwide and can severely limit independence and decrease people's quality of life. Current assistive technology can improve independence and navigation but has significant limitations.
The first patient from its initial study hoping to address quadriplegics, “Telepathy,” was found to be recovering well. Initial results showed a promising neuron spike detection. The patient was able to return home the following day. Musk and the team talked about future pathways for their device to go on a press conference debriefing the first surgery.
True to his enigmatic form, Musk initially announced the next project's name, "Blindsight," while replying to users on his social site X first in late January and then with fresh details dropping every so often. He described it as the company's “next project” at the Viva Technology conference in May.
Musk claimed the tech will be low-res at first, "like early Nintendo graphics" from the 1980s era of 8-bit video games. But he said he hopes it will actually "exceed normal human vision." In that same conference, Musk told viewers on X that the product has been documented to be effective in monkeys. In one study , multiple arrays in monkeys studied for three years showed decreased signal quality, decreased electrode impedances, and impaired performance on visual tasks over time. Research and innovation in this area will need to be furthered to improve and overcome these challenges to make these interfaces a more viable solution for vision restoration.
This, while still in the early stages, should be thought of as one of the biggest opportunities for healthcare R&D that this country has. With federal R&D showing stagnation, the initiative of Neuralink, willing to tackle the logistical and engineering challenges of pioneering innovations like this, deserves celebration and careful observation.
While approval from the Food and Drug Administration has historically been slow and complicated for the initial work on “Telepathy,” the future regulatory path should be clearer for the future of these products. As long as the testing is done carefully, this work should be celebrated for the intense societal benefit it can bring.
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This technology, should it continue to be as effective as it seems to be in early tests, deserves the highest support for the benefit to society. Right now, no one else is doing this level of work.
All eyes need to be on Neuralink.
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