Tag: Neuralink

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant startup, raises $280 million from Peter Thiel’s VC fund | CNN Business

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Elon Musk’s biotechnology startup Neuralink raised $280 million in a fundraising round, the company announced Monday via X, the Musk-owned social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The Series D round was led by Founders Fund, a San Francisco-based VC firm established by Peter Thiel, the controversial billionaire who was also a cofounder at PayPal.

“We’re extremely excited about this next chapter at Neuralink,” the company wrote.

The brain chip startup wants to use implants to connect your brain to a computer, a goal Musk has been working on for five years. The company so far has only tested on animals and faced scrutiny after a monkey died in project testing in 2022 as part of efforts to get the animal to play Pong, a computer game.

Macaque monkeys have been used in testing by Neuralink as the company has been developing Bluetooth-enabled implantable chips — inserted into the monkey’s brains — that the company says can communicate with computers via a small receiver.

The funding news comes months after Musk announced the company was moving towards human trials. The billionaire said at a December recruiting event that Neuralink has submitted “most” of its paperwork to the US Food and Drug Administration and could begin testing on humans within six months.

But employees have said the company is rushing to market, resulting in careless animal deaths and a federal investigation, according to a December report by Reuters.

Before Neuralink’s brain implants are mass-produced and hit the broader market, they’ll need regulatory approval. The FDA put out a paper in 2021 mapping out the agency’s initial thoughts on brain-computer interface devices, noting the field is “progressing rapidly.”

A tweet by Neuralink Monday announced they were hiring and invited those interested to “join in on engineering challenges to restore vision and mobility.”

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August 2, 2023
Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant startup, set to begin human trials | CNN Business

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Elon Musk’s controversial biotechnology startup Neuralink opened up recruitment for its first human clinical trial Tuesday, according to a company blog.

After receiving approval from an independent review board, Neuralink is set to begin offering brain implants to paralysis patients as part of the PRIME Study, the company said. PRIME, short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface, is being carried out to evaluate both the safety and functionality of the implant.

Trial patients will have a chip surgically placed in the part of the brain that controls the intention to move. The chip, installed by a robot, will then record and send brain signals to an app, with the initial goal being “to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone,” the company wrote.

Those with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may qualify for the six-year-long study – 18 months of at-home and clinic visits followed by follow-up visits over five years. Interested people can sign up in the patient registry on Neuralink’s website.

Musk has been working on Neuralink’s goal of using implants to connect the human brain to a computer for five years, but the company so far has only tested on animals. The company also faced scrutiny after a monkey died in project testing in 2022 as part of efforts to get the animal to play Pong, one of the first video games.

In May, Neuralink tweeted that it had received FDA clearance for human clinical trials, with the approval acknowledged by the agency in a statement. The opening of human trials also comes over a month after the brain chip startup raised $280 million in a fundraising round led by Founders Fund, a San Francisco-based VC firm established by Peter Thiel, the controversial billionaire who was also a co-founder at PayPal.

“We’re extremely excited about this next chapter at Neuralink,” the company wrote at the time on X, the Musk-owned social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Musk has forecast human trials at the startup at least four times since 2019, yet the company didn’t seek FDA approval until 2022. At that time, the agency rejected the bid, according to a March Reuters report, citing safety concerns about parts of the implant migrating to other parts of the brain and possible brain tissue damage when the devices are removed. Musk said at a December recruiting event that Neuralink has submitted “most” of its paperwork to the US Food and Drug Administration and could begin testing on humans within six months.

But employees told Reuters in December that the company is rushing to market, resulting in careless animal deaths and a federal investigation.

Neuralink did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Before Neuralink’s brain implants hit the broader market, they’ll need regulatory approval. The FDA put out a paper in 2021 mapping out the agency’s initial thoughts on brain-computer interface devices, noting the field is “progressing rapidly.”

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August 2, 2023
Elon Musk’s Brain Chip Company Approved for Human Testing | Entrepreneur

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Elon Musk‘s company Neuralink announced late today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave it the green light to experiment with implanting brain chips in humans.

We are excited to share that we have received the FDA’s approval to launch our first-in-human clinical study!

This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our…

— Neuralink (@neuralink) May 25, 2023

The company, founded in 2016 and primarily funded by billionaire Musk, develops electronic implants that decode brain activity and communicate it to computers. While other companies have used brain implants to assist people with debilitating medical conditions like paralysis and ALS, Neuralink’s brain chips have only been used in monkeys.

But that will soon change.

Musk has said, “I think we have a chance with Neuralink to restore full-body functionality to someone who has a spinal cord injury.” But he and the company also want to take the technology a step further — maximizing the potential of healthy people to keep up with artificial intelligence.

“We want to surpass able-bodied human performance with our technology,” Neuralink tweeted last month.

Related: Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Under Investigation for Allegedly Jeopardizing Human Safety

‘The future is going to be weird.’

Musk said he envisions a world where patients can drop by clinics to have a chip surgically implanted into their brains by a robot. “You’ll be able to save and replay memories,” he said at a show-and-tell presentation last year. “The future is going to be weird.”

He also predicts customers will want to upgrade their brain chips to the latest models regularly.

“I’m pretty sure you would not want the iPhone 1 stuck in your head if the iPhone 14 is available,” Musk said.

Musk is so confident that the devices are safe that he would be willing to implant them in his children.

It is still unclear if the brain implants will pass the rigorous FDA trial stage. Still, the announcement is a significant step forward for Musk’s business empire and brain-computer interface technology.

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Jonathan Small

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May 25, 2023
This Tech Allows Users To Smell Movies, Video Games, And Anime

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Reader, I hate how quickly I was able to make this image.
Image: Trigger / CD Projekt Red / Netflix / Kotaku / artpartner-images (Getty Images)

It’s official: the ability to smell shows and movies is finally here.

The cutting-edge tech in question, called the Aroma Shooter, was shown off at CES 2023 today by a Japanese-based developer Aromajoin. The Aroma Shooter can “digitalize aromas and create a new communication channel in the same family as text, images, and audio.” If you aren’t in attendance at CES this weekend, fear not, you can check out its demo video below:

Smell-O-Vsion-type products aren’t anything new to the entertainment medium. If you’re a millennial like myself, you may have experienced the 4D gimmick in action for the 2003 theatrical release of Rugrats Go Wild! that featured The Wild Thornberrys. However, instead of scratching a parchment of scented paper while watching a film or movie, Aroma Shooter…well, shoots smells at your face.

Aromajoin

The Aroma Shooter involves the use of two pieces of tech: the shooter itself and the aroma cartridge. Rather than using oils or mist, the aroma cartridge is a solid-state device that can apparently “toggle between scents in 0.1 second and blend scent permutations instantly with no lingering sensations.” When combined with the aroma shooter, a device PCGamer described as a wireless gadget that sucks in air and creates the scent fired toward your nose, you’ve got some sniff-able media.

As the video above demonstrates, users can program the Aroma Shooter’s over 100 scents to blast fragrances at their face holes in sync with a TV show, VR game, or anime like Quintessential Quintuplets or Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. For those curious, the featured scents for QQ are cherry blossoms, grapes, and peaches. The Edgerunners demonstration clip featured smoke, caramel, coffee, and clove bud. Chances are they’re still figuring out what cyberpsychosis smells like. You can also create your own scented viewing experience by linking a YouTube video to the software and marking timecodes when your techo-snoofs occur.

While I think the tech is impressive in passing, I’m not exactly sold on the daily practical use of it. Although the thought of programming the Aroma Shooter to its maximum capacity to smell bomb my apartment with gourmet food from any given Studio Ghibli movie is tempting, I can’t see myself using this ridiculously expensive device. I’m a lazy bitch who has enough of an imagination to carry me through watching anime characters gorge themselves on food that looks better than real life. Should the day ever come where Elon Musk’s Neuralink chips take off and the smells of my childhood memories are paywalled (you know he’s thought about it), then we’ll talk.

Here comes the catch: The Aroma Shooter 2 packaged with six aroma cartridges will run you $998. Should you have enough disposable income to require more individual cartridges, they’re gonna cost you $54 each. Currently, Aromajoin is working on crowdfunding a VR/AR attachment for its smell-o-rific device, as well.

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Isaiah Colbert

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January 6, 2023
Things To Never Say To Someone Who Loves Elon Musk

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If you know someone who stans the almighty Meme Lord and CEO of the Boring Company Elon Musk, here are things you should never say.

2 / 21

“It sometimes seems like he craves attention.”

“It sometimes seems like he craves attention.”

Oh, so you’re one of those woke libtards, huh?

3 / 21

“I totally get it. I’m obsessed with Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt.”

“I totally get it. I’m obsessed with Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt.”

This will be a conversational dead end, as Lundstedt lacks Musk’s infectious charisma and je ne sais quoi.

4 / 21

“What’s your favorite Tesla lawsuit?”

“What’s your favorite Tesla lawsuit?”

For true stans, it’s impossible to choose between the 40-plus racial and sexual harassment cases.

5 / 21

“He dies in the end.”

“He dies in the end.”

You may know the end to his story, but there’s no need to ruin it for people who’ve never come to grips with the reality that he is but a man.

6 / 21

“It’s kinda weird that he wears diapers.”

“It’s kinda weird that he wears diapers.”

Actually, for a man like Musk, relieving himself in a diaper rather than a toilet is a far more efficient use of his valuable time.

7 / 21

“No one who has been close to him speaks well of him.”

“No one who has been close to him speaks well of him.”

This, however, is a trick, as no one has ever truly been close to him.

8 / 21

“He’s not even in my top five tyrants.”

“He’s not even in my top five tyrants.”

There’s no need to rank them.

9 / 21

“He’s impregnated everyone else. Why not you?”

“He’s impregnated everyone else. Why not you?”

Pointing out the obvious will just make her feel bad.

10 / 21

“Did you know that Henry Ford also once started an automobile company?”

“Did you know that Henry Ford also once started an automobile company?”

Implying that Elon Musk is in any way similar to anyone who existed before him is pretty much guaranteed to lead to a fistfight.

11 / 21

“Elon Musk is going to ruin Twitter.”

“Elon Musk is going to ruin Twitter.”

They will rightly point out that Twitter was already ruined. He will just make it worse.

12 / 21

“Elon Musk is too funny.”

“Elon Musk is too funny.”

Elon Musk is the perfect amount of funny, asshole.

13 / 21

“Age of consent laws are good.”

“Age of consent laws are good.”

Just testing something here…

14 / 21

“Elon’s definitely coming to your birthday party.”

“Elon’s definitely coming to your birthday party.”

Don’t give them false hope their father will acknowledge them.

“As a woman, I…”

The only two outcomes from saying this are a violent death threat or total dismissal of your personhood.

16 / 21

“Please stop harassing me on Twitter.”

“Please stop harassing me on Twitter.”

This will only make things worse.

17 / 21

“I’m looking for podcast recommendations.”

“I’m looking for podcast recommendations.”

Only terrors lie down this path.

18 / 21

“Please clean your room.”

“Please clean your room.”

Don’t be such a bitch, Mom.

“Hi.”

Bad idea all around.

20 / 21

You’ve Made It This Far…

You’ve Made It This Far…

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January 2, 2023
Week In Review: December 18, 2022

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Most Frequent Porn Searches By State

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December 18, 2022
Bombshell Report Says Elon Musk’s Neuralink Under Federal Investigation for Animal Welfare Violations

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Federal authorities are investigating Elon Musk’s Neuralink for potential animal-welfare violations. According to Reuters, staff members have complained that the company is rushing animal testing procedures, causing the animals involved to suffer and die.

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink Corporation, a neurotechnology company, in 2016. Its goal is to develop a brain-machine interface (BMI) that will connect the human brain to computers. Musk believes this technology will help people with neurological disorders — such as paralysis or severe motor impairments — to regain control of their bodies and improve their quality of life. Neuralink’s implant is a chip surgically implanted into the brain. There it records individual neurons’ activity, transmitting that information to a computer. According to a recent presentation by Musk, the company is testing its tech in animals and plans to conduct clinical trials in humans within the next six months.

Reuters reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General has opened a federal probe into Neuralink Corporation. A federal prosecutor reportedly requested an investigation focused on potential violations of the Animal Welfare Act, a law governing animal research, testing, and treatment. The exact nature of the alleged violations and the current status of the investigation are still being determined, as the Inspector General’s office has yet to release any additional information.

The investigation coincides with employee dissent regarding the company’s animal testing practices. Reuters says it reviewed Neuralink documents and interviewed more than 20 current and former employees, and many have complained that Elon Musk is pressuring them to speed up development, leading to increased testing failures and animal deaths. The allegations, however, have not been independently confirmed.

According to Reuters, current and past Neuralink employees reported that the number of animal deaths at the company is higher than necessary due to pressure from Musk to speed up research. In addition, Reuters identified experiments involving 86 pigs and two monkeys marred by human errors, weakening their research value and forcing them to be repeated. Those who spoke to the news service alleged errors were caused by a lack of preparation and staff working under high-pressure conditions.

Reuters’ review of Neuralink records found multiple references to exploratory surgeries over several years — contradicting the company’s insistence that it avoids such tests.

Furthermore, company discussions showed employees expressing concerns about the head of animal care, Autumn Sorrells, requesting changes to study descriptions in a way that they believed would be misleading, with one employee noting that the request was designed to provide “better optics” for Neuralink.

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Steve Huff

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December 5, 2022
Elon Musk Hopes to Place Neuralink’s Implant Computer in a Human Brain Within Six Months

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Elon Musk expects to start human clinical trials for his Neuralink wireless device in six months.

SOPA Images / Contributor

Using brain chips, the company wants to enable disabled patients to move and communicate again. As it seeks U.S. regulatory approval for clinical trials in people, Neuralink has been testing on animals in San Francisco and Texas.

Musk said the company wants “to be extremely careful and certain” the chip “will work well before putting a device into a human.”

“But,” he said, “we’ve submitted, I think, most of our paperwork to the FDA, and probably in about six months, we should be able to upload Neuralink in a human.”

Neuralink is a small device with electrode-studded wires. In addition to making refinements to the implant, the company has been working on a surgical robot that will remove a piece of the skull to insert the chip into the patient’s brain. Musk indicated in Wednesday’s presentation that Neuralink is working with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on human trial approvals.

Along with the brain-computer interface, Musk revealed two significant products. Neuralink is also developing a spinal cord implant with the potential to help paralyzed people regain movement and ocular implants that could help the visually impaired see again.

Musk believes that humans can only compete with artificial intelligence (AI) via augmentations that turn us into organic computers. Neuralink’s signature device is a brain-computer interface (BCI) that could also help patients suffering from ALS or stroke victims use their minds to communicate. He demonstrated this Wednesday with an implanted monkey interfacing with a computer. Neuralink’s device reads the implantee’s neuronal spikes and translates them into machine-readable information.

Elon Musk hopes to eventually normalize the device so that humans regularly use it to communicate with machines.

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Steve Huff

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November 30, 2022
Week In Review: November 13, 2022

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November 13, 2022