Pager, a macaque monkey plays videogames with his mind via neuralink
"A coin-sized disc called "Link" was implanted into Pager's brain, connecting threads from the chip to neurons responsible for controlling motion."
A nine-year-old macaque monkey named Pager has successfully played a game of Pong with his mind.
The demonstration by Elon Musk's neurotechnology company Neuralink has been a strong example of a brain-to-machine interface in action.
A coin-sized disc called "Link" was implanted into Pager's brain, connecting threads from the chip to neurons responsible for controlling motion.
In a video that surfaced online, Pager was first shown how to play Pong using a joystick.
When he made a correct move, he'd receive a sip of banana smoothie.
As he played the Neuralink implant recorded the patterns of electrical activity in his brain.
Later it shows the joystick was disconnected but Pager continues to play the game using only his mind.
This technology could help people that are paralyzed, by giving them the ability to control computerized devices with their minds.
This would provide paraplegics, quadriplegics, and stroke victims the liberty of doing things by themselves again.
For example, prosthetic limbs might be controlled by signals from the Link chip and the technology would be able to send signals back making the prosthetic limb feel real.
This technology has also been claimed to be able to remedy depression, addiction, blindness, deafness, and various other neurological disorders.
Raj Kapali
