Do you already know what neuralink is? Get to know this new technology now!

Neuralink, this is a term that will rock in the coming years. The footprint of this text is kind of abstract, traveling, and transhumanistic and may seem a little crazy to you inexperienced student. But don't worry, I will explain to you the details of this new technology with practical examples, analogies and a few swear words to make you understand the subject and laugh a little.

Like elevator pitch and precision marketing, neuralink is one of those words that every unrolled student should have an idea of what it means. You do not need to become an expert on the subject. But it's always good to google these buzz terms so as not to float in conversations with your boss or teachers. This is networking with relational intelligence!

Well, before we talk about the tech part and the details of neuralink, let's go back to school and remember that we have 5 senses: smell, taste, sight, touch and hearing. Ok, a spoiler, the neuralink company is a business to create an interface between the human brain and a chip. That's right, the idea is to stick a chip in your head and turn you into a big computer. Crazy, huh?

The "bad" leader of this company is a white and famous internet South African: Elon Musk. The idea of this neuralink technology is precisely to create a sixth sense for humans. This sounds like science fiction talk, but this product even has prototype release on Youtube. Stay with me for more details!

What is a neuralink?

A device to help paraplegic people with simple everyday tasks such as using a smartphone or a notebook mouse. The idea of this chip is to help people with physical limitations to have a more autonomous life. But human trials are only on paper. Still, Elon Musk and his class are pretty optimistic to start these tests soon. The plan is to start work by the end of 2020.

Neuralink is a technology that affects human life and regulators are already watching. For now, prototype testing is only on monkeys and rodents. Here is a comment for students, it is always important to think of ways to test and validate their products, ideas and services. As much as books, online courses, videos, and theories say one thing, you need to test, test, and test your ideas and hypotheses. It is to experience and really know. The more you feel how an idea works, the better.

This feeling can be the differential of a top idea for a rough project. Mark Zuckerberg didn't create Facebook with just YouTube videos. Elon Musk didn't set up Tesla with just ebooks from the internet. It is hands-on, hardworking and a lot of culture maker. Let us now know the details of Neuralink in the brains of humans.

The part of neuralink in your brain (that's right!)

Yes, that part is really weird. The idea is to put neuralink pieces in the brain of humans through surgery. Brain implants have been around since the 70's. But this is a very delicate procedure, any mistake can give shit. Even so, research in this area is in full swing. We even have studies on the genetic origin of human intelligence.

Neuralink tests use electrodes to detect the messages exchanged between the brain nerves. The generated electric fields are the firings of the neurons. The distance between these electrodes is 60 nanometers outside the skull. That is, a small piece in your head will read and decode the messages in your brain.

The idea is to fit these electrodes and a small receiver under the skull. It's like a mini antenna in your head that doesn't pierce your brain. This is all nanotechnology, a very relevant subject with few qualified students. Then take a closer look at these books by WAGmob and Mazhar Iqbal. The material is very didactic, easy language and with several cool examples.

This neuralink nanotechnology has created another player on the market: the robotic surgeon. A very careful robot that can place the electrodes in the brains of humans with a low margin of error. Literally, this little machine installs each of the thin strands in one's brain. For those who have designed special rockets and electric cars, a little robot is soft for the Musk team. See the photo of this new ‘doctor’ below.

The neuralink part outside your brain (phew!)

Well, now you have an idea of the inner parts of neuralink. Let's now get to know the piece that is outside the brain. The part of the neuralink outside the skull is a piece that lies behind the ear. The idea of having a bionic super brain chip implanted in its head by a robot still seems very surreal to 97% of the population.

This can lead to brutal progress for science. But, it can also give a lot of shit and sequels to unsuccessful experiments. Have you ever imagined being dependent on a neurosurgeon robot every time your brain software needs updates? Monopoly, inflation, brain trafficking, thoughts leaking… A lot of strange and complex things can happen.

What is the big goal of neuralink?

Create a portable and rechargeable brain. The neuralink link device stores the programs, the processor hardware and the batteries. So if your super brain's battery runs out, just put it near the power outlet. The idea was to create a computer inside each person's brain, an “invisible” computer. In the near future, Musk envisions the neuralink chip as elective surgery.

That's right, people would have the option of turbocharging their brains themselves. Instead of spending a fortune on plastic surgery, people would invest in a more powerful brain. Yeah, a good little neurosurgery specialist can get you thinking faster than a quantum computer. This chat is kind of Terminator Skynet, but it can happen.

Possible social and economic effects

If the world remains capitalist, Apple and Amazon could fail, as humans would be able to shop with the power of the mind. Your iPhone and Apple Watch would become obsolete. Just remember that 10 years ago augmented reality glasses were things from "another planet". Yeah, nowadays Google and Nintendo play a lot of games with this "another planet" technology.

Telepathy business can become a viable idea. Yes, neuralink can transmit brainwaves over a wireless network. The speed of communications would skyrocket. Our thoughts are instantaneous and to be able to turn all this into data and information is a very complex but projectible processing.

The problem is that these super brains could become a substitute for drugs, food and beverages. With that, a neuralink app could bankrupt many companies and industries in one fell swoop. Many social networks and “parallel societies” would also emerge and further increase the problems of corruption, social and educational inequalities.

The future problems…

Well, ransomware is a virus that blocks files on your computer or smartphone and deletes them until you pay a ransom $$$$ (cash or bitcoin) to the hijacker. This is a chronic information security problem for data networks worldwide. What if this bug attacked your portable brain? Would we have a public health or technology problem?

Okay, enough of prophesying the apocalypse and creating conspiracy theories. Let's now get to know the business side of the company and the neuralink brand and the thinking brains behind this innovation case project. Come with me!

The company and brand neuralink

Neuralink is a partnership of the neurotechnology guys (yes, it exists). Elon Musk is the leader of this project created in 2016 in San Francisco. Their pitch is to create implantable brain-computer interfaces. This complex work uses many ideas developed by computer father Alan Turing.

Musk and his class are also based on the concept of science fiction called the “neural loop,” an idea created by novelist John Banks. The short-term goal for neuralink is to be a chip to help cure serious illness. An improvement in human health through the use of computing and nanotechnology. Let's now meet Elon Musk's partners and learn cool things from them.

Tim Hanson

Timothy Hanson is an electrical and computer engineer. In addition, he is a doctor of neurobiologics with a thesis on technologies for brain-machine interfaces. This programming background opened doors for Tim to work in the field of biomedical research.

Philip Sabes

Phil has a degree in physics, French and math. He is also a doctor of philosophy at MIT with a focus on cognitive sciences. Today Philip works as a university professor of psychology and neuroscience and is one of the first founders of the neuralink brand.

Paul Merolla

Paul is an academic who enjoys machine learning, neural hardware, programming and artificial intelligence. He has been an IBM researcher in a brain computing project, has a doctorate in bioengineering and is an electrical engineer.

Ben Rapoport

Benjamin is a Harvard-trained neurosurgeon doctor with a doctorate in electrical engineering and computing from MIT. This guy is a total polymath. In addition, he is a researcher active in implantable chips, neurosciences and autonomous surgeries.

Max Hodak

Max is a young entrepreneur graduated in biomedical engineering in 2012. He is a co-founder of neuralink and was CEO of the MyFit and Transcriptic businesses. MyFit is an app to help students get into universities. Transcriptic is a virtual cloud biology lab.

Tim Gardner

Tim is a very active entrepreneurial neuro-engineer in the academic field. He knows a lot about 3D printers, neuroscience and maker culture. In addition, Tim Gardner holds a bachelor's degree in physics and a doctorate in biology.

Vanessa Tolosa

Vanessa holds a bachelor's degree and a doctorate in chemical engineering. She is very active in the areas of nanotechnology and materials science. Our friend Vanessa has developed a microstructure 3D printer worth over $ 200,000.

Dongjin Seo

Dongjin Seo is a young doctor in electrical engineering and computing with several awards in the academic field. In addition, it also draws a lot from wifi networks, integrated circuits, systems deployment and telecom.

Elon Musk

Okay, Elon Musk needs no comment, right? Elon Reeve Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, is almost 50 years old and is CEO of Tesla Motors, SolarCity, Neuralink and SpaceX. Musk has publicly demonstrated that he is very concerned about the extinction of humans. Thus, their companies have some bold demands such as: reduction of global warming with renewable energies, projects for colonization of Mars and safe applications of artificial intelligence.

Anyway, now you already know the tech part, the business model and the thinking guys of the neuralink brand. You can see that it is a very specific project that mixes concepts about startups, biotechnology, neuroscience, deep learning and programming. Staying on top of these news can help you a lot during and after college.

Very well, this is the key information about neuralink technology. I know the article has gotten huge, but the idea is to get you thinking and entertaining you with facts, technologies and cool insights for your college life. If you have come this far, thank you very much for your attention. You can follow me on Instagram for more cool content for free. If you enjoyed this article, then share it with your friends.

Pedro Londe