Elon Musk's quest to connect a computer to your brain

Neuralink has a prototype of a brain-machine interface that works in pigs.

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View on the web Elon Musk is one step closer to connecting a computer to your brain Elon Musk put on his mastermind hat Friday and showed off the latest futuristic invention produced by one of his companies. Neuralink, his mysterious neuroscience startup, has developed a brain-machine interface that could one day help paralyzed people control robotic legs or stop patients with epilepsy from having seizures. For now, the latest version of the gadget can read the minds of pigs — or at least read their brain waves. A brain-machine interface is a device that connects electrodes to a brain, using the electricity produced by the organ to send signals to a computer. While the basic technology has been in development for decades, Musk and Neuralink hope to make it more effortless to install in humans, and more powerful than ever before. The new device is designed to be installed by a robot in a procedure that's no more invasive than lasik surgery and would leave a coin-sized implant on the top of the patient's head. The promise of such technology is tremendous, though it remains to be seen if or when Neuralink will bring it to market. Recode's Rebecca Heilweil covered Musk's latest demo on Friday and spoke to experts about the history of brain-machine interfaces as well as why Neuralink matters. The bigger stakes of the TikTok debate It's not just TikTok that's in trouble. The open internet is too. [ Joss Fong and Christophe Haubursin / Recode ] Robot boats leave autonomous cars in their wake Driverless ships don't have to worry about crowded roads. And they don't need bunks—or toilets. [ Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal ] Facebook banned violent militia groups. We still found plenty of them on its platform. The company removed at least four of these groups and pages after Recode flagged them for posts about shooting BLM protesters. [ Shirin Ghaffary / Recode ] One of the brains behind Tesla may have a new way to make electric cars cheaper What's the secret to building a more affordable electric vehicle? JB Straubel has an answer. It starts with a pile of old cellphones. [ Tim Higgins / Wall Street Journal ] America Is Facing a Monkey Shortage COVID-19 vaccines need to be tested in primates, but U.S. researchers are scrambling to find enough after China stopped exporting them. [ Sarah Zhang / The Atlantic ] Why all new political book covers look like they were designed by Sith Lords. Facebook Twitter Instagram This email was sent to milburnkennedy@hotmail.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving emails from Vox Media. View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.