Elon Musk’s Startup Neuralink Unveils Pig With A Computer Chip Implanted In Its Brain

In a major technological advancement, billionaire Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink on Friday (28 August) unveiled a pig with a coin-sized computer chip implanted in its brain, demonstrating an early step towards the aim of curing human diseases with the same type of implant, reports Economic Times.

The pig has had the chip implanted in its brain for two months now. Unveiling the pig in a webcast event on Friday, Musk exuded confidence that an implanted device can actually solve problems like memory loss, hearing loss, dementia and insomnia.

Musk shared that a sophisticated robot can place the chip in the brain areas responsible for motor and sensory functions with the help of flexible threads and wires smaller than a human hair. He also added that all of this procedure can be accomplished by just subjecting the recipient with local anaesthesia. He also mentioned that the chip is removable.

In his webcast, Musk mentioned that the aim of sharing the development was not to raise money but to convince great people to come ahead and work at Neuralink.

Based in San Francisco, Neuralink was co-founded by Musk in 2016 with an aim to develop wireless brain-computer chips to help cure neurological conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia and spinal cord injuries.