By Christina Jewett and others.
When Austin Beggin undergoes testing with a team of researchers studying brain implants that are meant to restore function to those who are paralyzed, there is a lot of cords and gadgets in his head.
It is also when Mr. Beggin is most free. After being paralyzed from the shoulders down in a diving accident eight years ago, he was able to use a brain device to move his arm as he imagined. The signals are converted to cuffs on his arm. They allow him to do things he had not done on his own.
Mr. Beggin said that this is the first time he has ever had the chance to open his hand. There are days like that that are special.
The Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center has some of the most cutting-age research in the brain- computer interface field.
In a recent presentation, Musk said Neuralink would one day help restore sight to the blind or return people like Mr. Beggin to full-body function. The Neuralink device could allow anyone to use phones with new levels of speed and efficiency.
Mr. Beggin sees giant advances in the future. Scientists who have approval to test such devices in humans are trying to restore normal function. The goal is more dangerous than you might think. They warn that Mr. Musk may never be able to achieve his goals if they are not worth the effort.
Paul Nuyujukian is a professor of bioengineering and neurosurgery and has spent years working on similar technology. It is not known how those scenarios will be realized.
Some of the best ideas in the field were mashed up in an elegant way by Mr. Musk at the Neuralink event. They acknowledged that replacing the soda-can-like bulge from the head would be a significant advancement.
After patients undergo robotic surgery to cut a hole in the head slightly larger than a quarter, Neuralink will be able to eliminate that problem. The robot rests a puck-like device in the hole after knitting 1,024 cobweb-thin electrodes into the gray matter of the brain.
Some researchers worry that a high-profile mistake could ruin years of progress.
Marcus Gerhardt, chief executive of Blackrock Microsystems, said that the communications coming out of Neuralink sounded like cowboy activity.
The company's neurosurgeons are petrified every day that something terrible could happen there and affect the rest of the space.
Mr. Beggin is one of about three dozen people who have a device in their brain that is used for research. There is a grid of wires that are dipped into his brain. That is connected to a portal on his head and a computer.
While working with the Cleveland research team, Mr. Beggin often looks at a moving arm or hand on a computer screen and imagines himself doing the same thing. Researchers can see the patterns in his brain that lead to each movement. A professor at Case Western Reserve University has worked with patients like Mr. Beggin.
Mr. Beggin said that the work can be tiring but that it is worth it when he can move his hand. A previous volunteer who was paralyzed in the arms and legs was able to lift a forkful of mashed potatoes with the system.
Mr. Beggin did not see the presentation. He was not happy to hear that Mr. Musk advocated for people who are paralyzed.
Mr. Beggin expects it will take a long time to achieve.
His mother also agreed. Ms. Beggin said that she would like to hear that. I was hoping that he would be able to walk.
She said she was happy to see her son move his hands. Scientists who work on the brain- computer interface say that it's important to keep patient expectations in check.
Academic teams are trying to restore function to people with disabilities or diseases. Scientists are trying to map the visual center of the brain so that points of light can be projected in the mind's eye to help the blind see. Neural electricity is being translated into various applications.
Neuralink is one of several companies working on implants. A device that sits inside the skull is being developed by a start-up. Synchron, based in New York City, is pushing a tube-shaped device into an arteries close to the brain. Tom Oxley, chief executive of Synchron, said that the signal it captures from the brain is weaker than before.
Despite all the promise in the field, scientists say this technology has very little to offer to the average consumer.
It seems as if it is about to change. The field was on the verge of a revolution when he compared it to the computer industry.
He believes that we are at the same initial ramp curve in understanding brain mechanisms.
A video showed a monkey using a prototype implant in its brain to move a computer screen. Some of the neurosciences who watched the event were impressed by the inner workings of the device.
Mr. Musk guessed that a clinical trial for Neuralink's device would start next year.
This would be a step in the right direction. Neuralink is so invested in the project that it may be able to bring a more powerful device to market quickly.
A lot of the best ideas out there in the top of the field were brought together into a new system. Cristin Welle is a University of Colorado neuroscientist and former F.D.A. brain implant lab director. It remains to be seen if they can surmount all of the technical hurdles to show that it is safe.
If the F.D.A. approves Neuralink, the trial will begin. Given the risks of repeated brain surgeries, the agency will pay close attention to device longevity. The challenge of operating electronics will have to be overcome for a long time. She said that they will need to prove that their device does not cause brain damage.
Limits exist to what the device can do. It is possible that ethical limits are also present.
Neuralink is fighting complaints over its tests with monkeys The company filed papers in a California court in order to stop the release of photos of primate test subjects. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed a complaint with the Agriculture Department after obtaining hundreds of pages of veterinary records.
The pending litigation made the Agriculture Department unable to comment on the complaint. The claims could affect Neuralink's technology.
Neuralink would only be open to people who have real needs for the technology, most likely those with spine injuries or other forms of paralysis.
Although Mr. Musk has said the Neuralink device could be implanted in healthy humans to enhance their abilities, that seems remote at this point. He compared future uses of the implant to those of another medical device that is marketed for reasons that are not solely disease-curing: Lasik surgery lasers.
There is an ethics question that needs to be answered and they haven't yet addressed it.
Mr. Beggin doesn't think it's a good idea to implant a device in a healthy person. He wants Mr. Musk and his company to focus on people like him who could use this device to restore functions that have been taken away.
He asked if the technology could be used to allow an able- bodied person to start a car. I can't rationalize it.
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