Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Neuralink co-founder Elon Musk displays the companies brain interface technology.

While implanting technology directly to the human brain may sound straight out of science fiction, the chip Neuralink has been developing is nearly ready for its final stage. 

The brain interface technology Neuralink will be ready for human implementation by next year according to co-founder Elon Musk. The chip itself has been geared towards medical applications. Stimulating and recording brain activity in its users, the device, if proven to be successful in humans, will have implications for all of medicine.

Musk has recently made huge advancements in both SpaceX and Tesla, his two flagship companies. But finally, Neuralink is pulling its weight in terms of Musks’ companies successes.

“Neuralink’s working well in monkeys, and we’re actually doing just a lot of testing and just confirming that it’s very safe and reliable, and the Neuralink device can be removed safely,” Musk said in regards to the technology’s status. The first of its kind, Neuralink will mark a new era of modern technology – a technology that is sure to raise more and more questions as it is received by humans

Despite the technology’s presumed success, Brain interface technology is going to raise questions by its skeptics due to its inherent futuristic nature. The criticism has been front and center during the development process. Many have labeled the company as ahead of its time but in an unsettling way.

But it is important to understand that the project is not moving forward without FDA approval. The company’s slow and steady development is a testament to its dedication to FDA guidelines 

“Standards for implanting the device are substantially higher than what the FDA requires,” Musk said. “We hope to have this in our first humans — which will be people that have severe spinal-cord injuries like tetraplegics, quadriplegics — next year, pending FDA approval.”

Once Neuralink finally undergoes human implementation, progress will accelerate tremendously. After years of anticipation, it appears the company is finally ready to make its long awaited breakthrough

To senior Chase Chrans, it is about time that mankind takes this leap. “I feel like it’s the advancement that we have been waiting for. I think the world is ready and its medical implications will be interesting to see over the coming years,” said Chrans. 

Neuralink has the potential to open up new possibilities for all of humanity with its interface technology that can potentially benefit millions around the world.