{"id":40149,"date":"2025-04-01T19:10:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T13:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=40149"},"modified":"2025-04-01T20:38:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T15:08:19","slug":"elon-musks-neuralink-to-implant-blindsight-chip-in-first-human-by-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-04-2025\/elon-musks-neuralink-to-implant-blindsight-chip-in-first-human-by-2025","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink to Implant \u2018Blindsight\u2019 chip in first human by 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ S&amp;T<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Elon Musk\u2019s brain-chip startup <strong>Neuralink <\/strong>has announced ambitious plans to begin <strong>human trials<\/strong> of its visual prosthesis device, \u201cBlindsight\u201d by the end of 2025.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This <strong>brain-computer interface (BCI)<\/strong> aims to restore vision in people who are completely blind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Blindsight?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Blindsight is an experimental <strong>artificial vision device<\/strong> that:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uses a microelectrode array implanted in the visual cortex of the brain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bypasses the eyes and optic nerves entirely.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Processes visual data from a camera feed and stimulates neurons in the brain\u2019s visual center, enabling perception of images.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cda27a\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/About-Brain-Computer-Interfaces-BCIs.png\" alt=\"About Brain Computer Interfaces BCIs\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-40150\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cda27a; width:288px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/About-Brain-Computer-Interfaces-BCIs.png 400w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/About-Brain-Computer-Interfaces-BCIs-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/About-Brain-Computer-Interfaces-BCIs-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is a computer-based system that:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Acquires brain signals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analyzes them<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Translates them into commands<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sends those commands to external devices to carry out a desired action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unlike traditional motor control (e.g., flipping a light switch), BCIs enable users to control devices directly using brain activity, bypassing the body\u2019s muscles and peripheral nerves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BCIs can be broadly categorized as:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Invasive: <\/strong>Electrodes are surgically implanted directly into the brain. These offer high signal quality but carry risks associated with surgery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Non-invasive: <\/strong>Sensors are placed on the scalp (e.g., EEG headsets). These are safer but have lower signal quality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Partially invasive:<\/strong> Electrodes are placed inside the skull but outside the brain tissue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Applications &amp; Challenges of BCIs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Category<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Applications<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Medical &amp; Rehab<\/strong><\/td><td>Assistive technology for paralysis, ALS, etc.; Stroke &amp; spinal injury rehab; Communication aids<\/td><td>Signal noise in non-invasive methods; Biocompatibility issues with implants<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Mental Health &amp; Cognitive<\/strong><\/td><td>Neurofeedback for ADHD, PTSD, etc.; Memory &amp; attention enhancement<\/td><td>Requires brain training; Ethical issues in cognitive manipulation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Education<\/strong><\/td><td>Monitor engagement &amp; cognitive load; Adaptive learning systems<\/td><td>Data privacy in learning settings; Standardization of tools<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Military &amp; Defense<\/strong><\/td><td>Thought-controlled drones &amp; devices; Cognitive monitoring of soldiers<\/td><td>Ethical use in combat; Risk of misuse or surveillance<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Smart Home &amp; IoT<\/strong><\/td><td>Control devices using brain signals<\/td><td>Latency and reliability issues; Cost and integration complexity<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Neuroscience Research<\/strong><\/td><td>Brain mapping; Understanding cognition and neural links<\/td><td>Requires high-precision data; Long development cycles<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>General&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td>Enhancement of brain functions and overall efficiency in functionality.&nbsp;<\/td><td>High costs; Lack of trained experts; Regulatory and legal uncertainty; Brain data security<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/technology\/tech-news-technology\/elon-musk-neuralink-implant-blindsight-chip-by-2025-9916149\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk\u2019s brain-chip startup Neuralink has announced ambitious plans to begin human trials of its visual prosthesis device, \u201cBlindsight\u201d by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40149"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40175,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40149\/revisions\/40175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}