Elon Musk founded a neural lace company to connect the brain to computers

Posted on Tuesday, March 28 2017 @ 18:46 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
As if serial entrepreneur Elon Musk didn't already have his hand full with all his other companies, he just announced he is setting up a medical research company named Neuralink. As the name of the company suggests, it will focus on exploring brain-computer interfaces to improve humans' cognitive abilities. The move doesn't come entirely out of the blue as Musk has talked about "neural lace" in the past and how it can help us to achieve symbiosis with artificial intelligence.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company will likely be funded entirely by Musk or by the Founders Fund, a VC firm founded by Peter Thiel. The Journal also reports that the company has hired three people already: "Vanessa Tolosa, an engineer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and an expert in flexible electrodes; Philip Sabes, a professor at the University of California in San Francisco, who studies how the brain controls movement; and Timothy Gardner, a professor at Boston University who is known for implanting tiny electrodes in the brains of finches to study how the birds sing."
Ultimately, the goal is the downloading and uploading of thought, but the company will start with more modest projects. Proof-of-concept products from Neuralink will include implantable electrodes for treating epilepsy and depression. Full details at ARS Technica.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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