Watch: Elon Musk’s Neuralink Shows Monkey Playing Pong With Mind

by

in

A new video from Elon Musk’s Neuralink shows a monkey playing the classic video game Pong using its mind via a prototype neural implant. This isn’t the first demonstration of such advanced technology that connects a laboratory animal to a computer using a head-mounted device that includes microscopic probes inserted into the brain, but it is the most impressive. Other researchers have explored brain-to-computer interfaces in the past, but Neuralink brings a higher profile and the potential for much greater funding.

Neuralink’s first demonstration came in August of 2020 using a pig with a neural implant to show that a connected computer was able to pick up brain activity. In particular, the implant was placed in such a way as to receive signals from the snout, which means that touching the nose, or ‘booping’ the nose, would result in a flurry of activity in the brainwave display that was shown simultaneously. A cute, video game-like musical riff played with each nose interaction, beeping cheerfully with each bit of treat from a human or when the pig licked its snout. As noted by Musk, the pig appears healthy and behaves normally in the brief demonstration. The company also released a video explaining that the animals are well cared for, revealing that several pigs were used for testing and that a large number of veterinarians and other team members were present to attend to their needs and assess their state.

Related: Musk’s Neuralink Could Lead To Hackers Erasing Memories, Researchers Warn

The latest demonstration, published on the Neuralink blog, includes a video of a monkey named Pager that has been implanted with two Neuralink interfaces, one on each side of the brain. At the beginning, the rhesus macaque monkey is seen sitting upon a cut branch that is positioned in front of a computer monitor with a tropical forest backdrop behind it. Pager used a joystick control placed to the right and a central reward tube delivered a banana smoothie treat for performing the test well. This behavioral training has been used to teach some basic video game skills, using the joystick to maneuver an on-screen ball or paddle. The wirelessly connected computer was able to decode the patterns in the recorded brain signals that were related to hand movement. These signals may appear to be random noise to the human eye, but the Neuralink computer was able to isolate the relevant information eliminating the need for joystick input. The video next shows the same test, this time with the joystick unplugged and using the decoded brainwave signal in its place. The last and most impressive demonstration showed Pager playing the classic video game Pong and managing to beat its computer opponent quite often, missing only when looking away. This was accomplished entirely without a joystick, showing that Pager can reliably perform time-sensitive activities using this technology.

Neuralink is well into animal testing and has demonstrated success with both pigs and monkeys. The long-term goal, of course, is to implant these devices into humans, but using the brain to control video games is not the first planned purpose. There is a great opportunity to explore using this technology to help people with paralysis. The Neuralink blog mentions the possibility of enabling texting, browsing the web, and exploring the digital world more quickly and easily through a Neuralink. For anyone using assistive technologies, this could be a big upgrade, potentially eliminating the need for joysticks or computer eye-tracking, which are wonderful but are inevitably much slower than input via a keyboard or mouse. Looking further ahead, the blog post described the possibility of enabling mobility via motorized prosthesis or even controlling a person’s own limbs despite the biological paralysis.

There are some skeptics of the technology, but most seem enthusiastic and particularly since Musk’s companies are well funded and tend to move quickly. PETA has raised the issue of the use of animals for testing and this is a valid concern, but Neuralink claims that it is being kinder than most companies in this regard. Whereas many animal experiments purposely cause the illness and/or death of test subjects for the sake of safety testing or scientific research, Neuralink has a vested interest in the well-being of the animals it uses. Elon Musk has stated it is hoping to start human testing later this year, so successful animal trials are critical to allow this possibility. At some point in the near future, Musk’s Neuralink may show a human playing Pong and describing what it feels like.

Next: Neuralink Human Trials Could Start This Year, But Is That Too Soon?

Source: Neuralink

Article Source and Credit screenrant.com https://screenrant.com/watch-elon-musk-neuralink-monkey-mind-pong-video/ Buy Tickets for every event – Sports, Concerts, Festivals and more buytickets.com

Discover more from Teslas Only

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading