Neuralink, a small startup with a cumbersome founder (Elon Musk, Tesla's deus ex machina, Space X, Hyperloop) has already collected 39 of the $ 51 million needed for development, according to the U.S. Commission on Security and Trade (SEC). of his initial plans.
It is not yet clear whether the capital comes only from external investors or includes money from Musk himself, also because the company spokesperson is not very talkative or clear on the topic, but we know for sure that the economic objectives have been revised: at the end 2017 an internal note said that the initial plan was $ 100 million, and that 27 had been raised.
Neuralink opened in 2016 as a medical research company based in San Francisco, and has operated rather quietly since then, hiring several neuroscientists with expertise in different disciplines, mostly involving them in primate research within a laboratory at the University of California .
The interesting feature of Neuralink is given by its goal: to connect the human brain with a computer to increase the exchange of data between the two systems and provide a "bionic" alternative to artificial intelligence.
The second phase of the project, often referred to by Musk in various interviews, is to create a "backup" of one's brain, to proceed with "mind uploading" to a computer: "If your biological self dies, you can load it into a new unit. Literally".
In March, some of the Neuralink researchers posted a study illustrating new techniques for implanting electrodes into the brains of mice. In the following month, responding to questions about the news on Twitter, Musk wrote a laconic and suggestive statement “There will probably be something notable and it will be announced in a few months.”
Since then there has been much silence, until last Friday's announcement on the funds raised, and a circumstance that makes us think of movements underway: a co-founder of Neuralink who left Boston University in March 2017 to join the project is now taking on the role as professor in Neuroengineering at the University of Oregon.
Change of organization, increase in funding... it's a long-term project, but Musk never seems to stop.
