How Elon Musk's Neuralink could help people with vision loss see again
These implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are just a glimpse of the future
Elon Musk has many business ventures under his belt, and while the world's richest man is largely remembered for his work on Tesla and SpaceX, let's not forget his involvement in Neuralink.
Founded by Elon Musk and eight scientists in 2016, it's only more recently that Neuralink has grabbed headlines, as since 2024, it's been implementing its implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs).
The first Neuralink patient has already described what it felt like when he realized he could control a computer with his thoughts, while others have since been praising the work of the transhumanist neurotechnology company after it was tested on monkeys.
This is just the tip of Neuralink's potential, with the announcement of 'Blindsight' in September 2024.
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Hoping to bring some level of vision back to those who have an undamaged visual cortex, Blindsight was granted 'breakthrough' status from the federal government and was fast-tracked into development.
In a fireside chat with startup accelerator Y Combinator, Musk explained where things are up to with Blindsight and how he hopes to bring vision to those who can't see.
Giving us an update, Musk explained: "In the next six to 12 months, we’ll be doing our first implants for vision, where even if somebody is completely blind, we can write directly to the visual cortex.'
Like how Neuralink blew us away in 2021 with its visual demonstration of Monkey MindPong, Musk claims, "One of our monkeys has had the visual implant for three years."
Musk's musings follow in the footsteps of Neuralink engineer Joseph O’Doherty, saying (via Bloomberg) how Blindsight had successfully stimulated vision-linked brain areas in a test monkey. Tests reportedly showed that the monkey moved its eyes toward what researchers wanted it to visualize in at least two-thirds of the tests.
Human trials are planned for later in 2025, although it should be noted that Blindsight devices haven't yet been approved for human use in the USA.
Even though Neuralink hopes to pair Blindsight chips with specialised glasses to display enhanced visual data, it's a little easier in monkeys. Their visual cortex is near the brain's surface, whereas Neuralink will have to use a surgical robot to place the implant in deeper cortical regions for human subjects.
Back in March, Musk spoke about Neuralink's potential to grant 'superhuman capabilities' like allowing people to see in infrared, and while we can only imagine the implications of soldiers with night vision, it all sounds like something from a sci-fi movie.
The tech billionaire has hyped these medical achievements as a way to accelerate human communication while supposedly "mitigating the risk of digital super-intelligence."
As the BCI sector continues to grow with Neuralink rivals, Musk has the coup that his various companies can work together in tandem.
Advancements in Tesla's Optimus robots and xAI's deep learning capabilities are thought to be working hand in hand with Neuralink, potentially helping the company leapfrog the competition.