Neuralink major update! Musk once again enters tech madman mode: controlling Optimus Prime with thoughts, curing blindness by 2026

Old Ma has finally returned to the tech world. Just now, Musk led the Neuralink team in a nearly one-hour press conference, and there were just too many highlights.

First, Musk painted a big picture again. He said: With the Neuralink chip, you can completely take over a Tesla Optimus robot, gaining full control and access to all sensor data. In simple terms, you become that Optimus, able to 'soul transfer' into it with your thoughts.

They are also developing a project called "Blindsight," where blind users wear smart glasses that can send visual images directly to the brain. To achieve this, they built their own high-end brain scanner in collaboration with Siemens within four months, having scanned 50 people and created brain region maps, like making a map of neurons. They calibrate vision by lighting up different parts of the brain, asking users what they "see," and then use this to construct a customized visual interface.

Musk also revealed that Neuralink is creating a universal brain input-output technology, a method to input or output information to the brain without damaging it or causing negative side effects.

The information in one hour was just too much, so here are the key points for everyone:

What is Neuralink

Like Tesla and SpaceX, Neuralink adheres to Musk's vertical integration model, with all core processes from chip design, electrode manufacturing, surgical robots to software algorithms being self-researched and controlled, allowing Neuralink to iterate quickly.

At the conference, Neuralink announced that it has successfully implanted devices in seven participants to date, allowing them to regain the ability to interact with the digital world and even the physical world through its first product, "Telepathy," which means they can play games, operate computers, etc.

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Neuralink Plans Development Path for the Coming Years

Q4 2025: Implants will be placed in the speech cortex, aiming to directly decode silent "intent speech."

2026: The number of electrodes will be increased to 3,000, and the first "blindsight" project participant will be welcomed. "Blindsight" will capture images through a camera and convert the information into electrical signals to stimulate the visual cortex, allowing the blind (including those born blind) to regain vision, initially for low-resolution navigation, with the ultimate goal of achieving superhuman multi-band vision.

2027: The number of channels will be increased to 10,000, and multi-device implants will be achieved (such as simultaneous implants in the motor, speech, and visual cortices).

2028: The number of channels will exceed 25,000, reaching deeper brain areas for the treatment of mental illnesses, neuropathic pain, etc., and will begin exploring deep integration with AI.

Ultimately, Neuralink's goal is to build a "whole-brain interface" that, through the implantation of multiple devices with hundreds of thousands or even millions of channels, can not only solve all known neurological diseases (including enabling paraplegics to walk again through "bridging") but also completely unleash the potential of the human brain, ushering in a new era.

Old Ma Talks Philosophy

At the start of the press conference, Old Ma discussed the nature of consciousness. He pointed out that all human experiences—thoughts, emotions, speech—stem from the discharge of neurons in the brain. Neuralink's mission is not only to address "human suffering" such as brain and spinal cord injuries but also to gain a deeper understanding of consciousness and ultimately enhance the upper limits of human capabilities.

Musk reiterated his "three-layer brain" theory: the primitive limbic system (instinct), the advanced cortex (thinking), and the third layer of digital devices we rely on daily, such as smartphones and computers. Currently, the "bandwidth" between humans and this third layer is extremely limited, constrained by the speed of typing and speaking. Neuralink's goal is to break this bottleneck, increasing the communication rate from "a few bits per second" to "several megabits or even gigabits per second," achieving true "thought communication." In the long run, Musk believes that a high-bandwidth brain-machine interface is key to ensuring the future of human civilization in the era of artificial intelligence. It can align the "collective will of humanity" with the "will of artificial intelligence," avoiding potential survival risks.

Clinical Trials

The real stories of seven clinical trial participants. Four of them are spinal cord injury patients, and three are patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). They are no longer test subjects in a laboratory but real users who use the Neuralink brain-machine interface device (BCI: Brain-Computer Interface) for hours every day at home.

Data shows that participants use the BCI device for an average of about 50 hours per week, with peaks even exceeding 100 hours, covering almost all waking hours. This proves that the Neuralink device is not a quirky toy but a practical tool that has deeply integrated into their lives.

The first participant, Noland: On the day of implantation, he broke the world record for controlling a brain-machine interface cursor. Now, he can not only enjoy playing "Mario Kart" with his thoughts but also compete online with other participants in games like "Call of Duty," which require complex dual-stick operations. More importantly, he has resumed learning languages and mathematics.

Brad, who has ALS and cannot speak: For the past six years, he has been unable to go out due to reliance on an indoor eye tracker. Now, with the help of Neuralink, he can take his children to the park and control a computer with his thoughts to communicate with the world.

Alex: Through the brain-machine interface, he can not only play the "rock-paper-scissors" game but also control a virtual robotic hand on the screen in real-time to perform fine finger joint movements.

The press conference showcased an astonishing scene: using Alex's real-time neural signals, a Tesla Optimus robot hand synchronized to make the same movements. Musk further revealed that in the future, users will be able to "inhabit" the entire Optimus robot with their thoughts, achieving remote presence of their whole body, or install powerful mechanical prosthetics for those who have lost limbs, similar to scenes in "Star Wars."

Technical Core: Vertical Integration

Neuralink's rapid progress is attributed to Musk's "vertical integration" model—controlling all core processes from chip design, electrode manufacturing, surgical robots to software algorithms in-house.

The Implant: The currently used N1 implant has achieved complete wireless and invisible implantation. It acts like a miniature "brain base station," collecting neuronal signals from thousands of channels and transmitting them wirelessly. The team likens this process to "connecting biological neural networks with silicon-based neural networks (machine learning models)," essentially expanding the brain's foundation for the first time. Its next-generation S2 chip has been optimized for the "blind vision" project, possessing stronger stimulation (writing) capabilities.

The Robot: The first-generation R1 robot took 17 seconds to implant each electrode wire. The new next-generation robot has reduced this time by 11 times, now requiring only 1.5 seconds. Additionally, its robotic arm's range of motion and implantation depth have significantly increased, making it compatible with over 99% of the population and capable of implanting electrodes up to 50 millimeters deep in the cerebral cortex, paving the way for the treatment of more diseases.

Software & AI: Machine learning is key to decoding brain intentions. Through continuously optimized algorithms, the user calibration process has been shortened from several hours to just 15 minutes, enabling smooth cursor control. The team is tackling the core challenge of "neural non-stationarity" (i.e., brain signals drifting over time) to ensure a long-term stable, calibration-free user experience.

Cost and Scalability: Vertical integration has brought remarkable cost efficiency. For example, the "needle kit" used by the surgical robot has seen its cost plummet from $350 to $15 through optimized design and manufacturing processes, with production time reduced from 24 hours to 30 minutes. This lays the foundation for future mass production and widespread adoption.

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