Responding to Elon
In the weeks following Elon Musk’s public launch of his brain interfacing company Neuralink [see article, page 1], numerous neurotechnology investigators and industry professionals have weighed in on the significance of the firm’s progress. Some, like Halo Neuroscience founder (and ex-NeuroPace executive) Dan Chao were highly impressed. “The Neuralink launch was one of the most impressive and visionary neuroscience presentations I have ever seen,” he tweeted. Like many others in attendance at the launch, Chao was impressed by the thin electrode design, the hermetically sealed miniature electronics package, the surgical robot, and the computing power of the N1 chip. “On chip spike detection in 900 ns, 1024 channels while consuming only microwatt power. Holy shit!,” he marveled.
Others took a more measured outlook. In an article in The Conversation, Robert Gaunt and Jennifer Collinger from Pitt cited their own and others’ prior work with BCIs used to control neuroprosthetics. While acknowledging Neuralink’s technological promise, they highlighted some challenges the company will face in the years ahead. “Devices with more electrodes that last longer and are connected to smaller and more powerful wireless electronics are essential. Better devices themselves, however, are insufficient. Continued public and private investment in companies and academic research labs, as well as innovative ways for these groups to work together to share technologies and data, will be necessary to truly advance scientists’ understanding of the brain and deliver on the promise of BMIs to improve people’s lives,” they wrote.
Still other BCI pioneers, like Neural Signals founder Phil Kennedy, were unimpressed. He raised questions about long-term signal quality, since neural tissue does not grow into the electrode tip as it would with a neurotrophic electrode. He questioned the need for thousands of signals, pointing out that he was able to decode phonemes from as few as 23 single units and a dozen useful signals. “Elon Musk is like a bull in a china shop, damaging the field with false claims of longevity when he has no evidence,” Kennedy said.
While the reviews from the experts are certainly mixed, our own view is that the Neuralink launch breathes a new level of excitement and optimism into the neurotech industry at a time when funding, investment, and research activity were already at high levels. If the only innovation that eventually bears fruit is the neurosurgical robot that makes the implantation of brain interfaces easier on the patient, this would be an enormous step forward. If the company can avoid making unreasonable promises and deliver sustainable long-term therapies for unmet needs, the world will come to appreciate the role that Elon Musk has played in the maturation of neurotechnology.
James Cavuoto
Editor and Publisher
