Is the era of human-machine symbiosis approaching?

2023-10-07

Disabled people use robotic arms to play and sing, those who are speechless speak, those who are deaf hear voices, and humans rely on their minds to command massive machinery... These scenes from the past that could only exist in science fiction movies may one day be witnessed with your own eyes. On September 19th local time, Neuralink, a brain computer interface technology company founded by Musk, announced that it had obtained approval from an independent review committee to conduct its first human trial of implanting devices into the brains of paralyzed patients. Neuralink claims that this human trial is a six-year experiment aimed at verifying the safety and functionality of brain computer interface technology, allowing paralyzed patients to control external devices with their brains. According to Neuralink's plan, participants are required to participate in a preliminary study lasting 18 months, including staying at home and going to the hospital in person. During the remaining research period, participants are required to participate in research meetings related to brain computer interfaces. Musk once stated that Neuralink's short-term goal is to help paralyzed individuals achieve mental typing function, and in the future, it will also enable paralyzed individuals to walk, make blind people see, and ultimately achieve a "human-machine symbiosis". In the digital age, the most important technological leap is always reflected in the progress of communication between humans and machines. Will the era of "human-machine symbiosis" come when the human brain is implanted with chips? Neuralink's initial goal was to allow paralyzed or physically disabled individuals to control their mobile phones and computers with their own consciousness, and Musk has publicly stated that this technology will be used to help visually impaired and mobility impaired individuals recover their vision and mobility. For the entire field of brain computer interfaces, this is definitely a good thing, and I hope Musk succeeds, "said Liu Xiaoling, founding partner and deputy general manager of China's leading enterprise in the field of brain computer interfaces, Borui Kang. One of the earliest scholars in China to conduct research on brain computer interfaces and Professor Gao Xiaorong, appointed by the Dean of Medicine at Tsinghua University, analyzed that the reason why experiments were first conducted on paralyzed patients is because in the medical use of brain computer interfaces, it is necessary to determine whether the device is truly effective for patients, and it will be more clear in paralyzed patients. It is worth mentioning that before the successful application for human clinical trials, Neuralink had conducted relevant experiments on pigs and monkeys, which caused a sensation. In August 2020, Musk showcased a piglet with its brain implanted into a brain computer interface device live streaming. When staff feed piglets with food and touch them, their brain activity signals can be read in real-time by brain computer interface devices. By further reading its EEG signals, the movement pace and pattern of the piglet can be predicted. In April 2021, Neuralink released a video in which a macaque named Pug was implanted with a brain computer interface. The research team taught it to play games using a joystick and rewarded it with a banana milk shake. At this stage, the brain computer device records which neurons of Pug are activated and models the relationship between their neural activity and the expected direction of movement, achieving a "brain computer connection". Afterwards, the researchers disconnected the link between the joystick and the computer. Without the joystick, Pug only used his mind to control the cursor and continued playing table tennis

Edit:Hou Wenzhe    Responsible editor:WeiZe

Source:City Daily of Westen China

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