Elon Musk has reaffirmed his commitment to a project aimed at restoring sight to the blind. This project, undertaken by his company Neuralink, involves the development of a “vision chip”.
The vision chip project was first mentioned in November 2022. Musk’s recent tweet in response to YouTuber Marcus House, whose 14-year-old son suffers from a rare eye disease that has left him blind, confirms the ongoing work on this project. Musk stated, “Neuralink is working on a vision chip, which will be ready in a few years”.
The concept behind the vision chip is to bypass the eye by transmitting an electrical signal from a camera directly to the brain, which will then interpret the signal. This could potentially restore vision even to those who have been blind since birth.
So, a tough personal thread to write here. 🥺 I haven't really gone into this publicly before, but I feel I need help. My eldest son Alex (14yo), has a rare eye condition in the CRB1 Retinal Dystrophy family. 😢
— Marcus House (@MarcusHouse) November 7, 2023
Essentially mostly blind in one eye, and almost legally blind in the… pic.twitter.com/nXoy4dH06P
This is not much consolation, but Neuralink is working on a vision chip, which will be ready in a few years.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2023
That is the next area after enabling phone/computer telepathy for those who have lost their mind-body connection. We waiting for regulatory approval for our first human.
Neuralink’s primary focus is on designing brain-computer interfaces that would allow equipment to be controlled remotely simply by thinking. The initial application of this technology would be to restore mobility to paralyzed individuals.
However, Neuralink’s work has not been without controversy. Initial tests on monkeys have been carried out, but these have been contentious. Allegations of rushed and botched experiments, disavowed by their own authors, led to a federal investigation in the United States. The company has been accused of causing needless suffering and deaths among the animals used in its testing.
Despite these challenges, Neuralink continues to progress. The company is currently recruiting for its first clinical trial of its brain chip in people with paralysis. It is also seeking regulatory authorization. Musk himself has indicated that the company is now looking for human participants.
