If there’s one thing that technology is capable of, it’s advancing human civilization forward in ways that were never thought possible before. It can also allow primates to control video games with their minds. That’s the success story behindElon Musk’sneutotechnology company, Neuralink, which has apparently succeeded inhooking a monkey’s mind up to the classic arcade gamePong.
As arguably one of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, Elon Musk is generally known for being the mastermind behind some elaborate and complex projects. From creating his own space program, SpaceX,which launched two astronauts into space last year, to encasing the globe in a satellite based internet service, it seems as though letting a monkey play video games with its brain was somewhat inevitable for him and his team.
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This recent report indicates thatthe richest man in the world’sstartup has managed to do just that, and has even produced a three-minute video showing off the incredible feat. The nine-year-old macaque monkey, named Pager, is seen controlling a screen with a joystick whilst receiving a banana smoothie after having a brain-chip installed into his head. The Neuralink device is then connected up to a nearby phone, in much the same way as bluetooth. After some calibration, the joystick is unplugged and, unbeknownst to Pager, he begins to control the on-screen activity with his mind, despite still thinking it’s being done with the stick. Eventually, the video cuts to footage of Pager playingPong, now no longer holding the joystick. It is quite a marvelous piece of footage which can be seen below.
The intended purpose of this is to see whether Neuralink can enable people with paralysis to control things using their brain. Such technology is already becoming a reality, with games such asBefore Your Eyesenabling players to manipulate the game with their eyes. A similar thing has also been done toMinecraft. This means that people with disabilities are being given opportunities to take part in games in ways that many people may take for granted.
Elon Muskis something of a new breed of super rich tech mogul,making fun of games likeCyberpunk 2077for needing so many patchesand advising the likes of Kanye West on politics. But his technological achievements are arguably helping to change the world for the better. From his early days of PayPal, right through to Neuralink and beyond, his ideas and financial backing could see humanity move forward through technology.
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