No. It is unlikely that we are living in a web of lies spun by the Matrix and surely, we can’t plug a cable into the back of our heads to download data into us instead of learning via the good’ol ways. However, it could happen if Elon Musk’s back Neuralink makes head ways in near future. Though granted, Neuralink is still a freshly announced startup, but the gist of the what they will be doing is, in layman terms, is to enable direction connections between a live human brain and a computer. Yeap. It sure does sound like Matrix kind of thing happening here.
The California-based neuroscience startup, which registers itself as a medical research company, has its sight set on developing cranial computers that will eventually lead to treating diseases like epilepsy, Parkinson’s et cetera and with the possibility of creating a human-computer hybrid of sort. To be honest, we do not have the full picture of what’s going to happen, but you have to admit the notion of human with computer assisted brain does sound exciting and creepy all at the same time. Together with the advancement in bionic limbs, the future of cyborgs seem imminent; just like sci-fi novels and movies have predicted since like forever.
In case, for whatever reasons, you are questioning about Neuralink’s dedication, well, you can be sure that the startup is dead serious about what they about to embark on. How? Judging by the high profile academics in the field of neuroscience they already roped and these people include expert in flexible electrodes and nanotechnology, Dr. Venessa Tolosa, UCSF professor Philip Sabes, and Boston University professor Timothy Gardner who is known to peer into the brains of songbirds in a bid to study their neural pathways.
But of course, this is just the beginning; what Neuralink will turn out is still too early to speculate. However, it is not hard imagine a future as depicted by some sci-fi novels and movies. I, for one, can’t wait to have something (such as a new language) to be downloaded into my brain directly so I can do more than spent lengthy time picking up the skill.
Ok. Maybe not. Let’s go with curing of diseases. That should be humanity’s priority. But then we have to live with overpopulation and an ailing blue marble. Oh wait. Elon Musk will have that covered too, right? Does Mars colonization rings a bell?
Image: screengrab of a scene from the movie Matrix.
via Engadget.
