In a presentation held yesterday, Elon Musk explained the progress made by Neuralink in the creation of an interface between the human brain and computer. When he started talking about projects of this type he called it “neural lace”, an idea taken from science fiction. Now, however, the first implant prototypes have been built and the company seems ready to start tests on human beings since it’s taking the necessary steps to obtain the approval required to perform them.

Elon Musk became famous as the founder of the aerospace company SpaceX and the electric car maker Tesla Motors but in March 2017 Neuralink was revealed, a company that aims to create an interface between human brain and computer. The ultimate goal is to have a symbiosis between human and artificial intelligence, but to reach that point, in the meantime, a way had to be found to let the brain communicate with a computer.

Electronic systems already exist that allow human beings to control them directly: often they’re systems designed to allow people with motor disabilities to use computers or to control bionic limbs. Such possibilities have been taken into consideration by Neuralink as well but Elon Musk company’s project is more sophisticated and flexible.

Neuralink didn’t invent the wheel but designed an evolution of the various existing systems. The implant is based on a specially designed chip that amplifies and cleaes signals connected to the brain through a series of very thin wires equipped with electrodes. At the moment it can communicate only via a USB-C type cable connection but the next step will be the creation of an external module that supports wireless transmissions to communicate with a computer.

The presentation shows an interface that already allows some form of communication between brain and computer, but Elon Musk stated that the timeline is still long for human applications. Even obtaining the necessary approval within the timeline set by the company, the first human patient could be equipped with that technology by 2020 and from there there could be slow progress.

In the coming years, Neuralink could start offering implants that can help people who suffered brain injuries but it’s just the beginning. Chips and wires should be implanted using an extremely precise robot system and that too will be perfected over time to improve the implants’ quality and limit the risks of side effects, for example by using a laser system to pierce the skull instead of a drill.

It’s still difficult to understand how long it will take Neuralink to begin to pass the experimental phase. The update provided by Elon Musk, also concerning the applications for people with disabilities, shows how the company is proceeding by steps, leaving the symbiosis between brain and computer as its ultimate goal. In essence, the first applications are more realistic than the more science fiction ones.