Industrialist Anand Mahindra on Thursday praised Elon Musk’s Blindsight device from its brain-chip startup Neuralink, saying that it would be the tech mogul’s “most enduring gift to humankind”. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mr Mahindra reposted Mr Musk’s tweet about Neuralink’s Blindsight device. “The Blindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see. Provided the visual cortex is intact, it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time,” Mr Musk said while describing the device in his post. He also announced that the device had got approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Elated by this update, Mr Mahindra reshared the post with a heartfelt message for Mr Musk. “If this device lives up to these expectations then, much more than Tesla or Space X, THIS will be your most enduring gift to humankind,” the industrialist wrote.
Take a look below:
If this device lives up to these expectations then, much more than Tesla or Space X, THIS will be your most enduring gift to humankind. https://t.co/BtnbEEIvyn
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) September 19, 2024
The Blindsight device, aimed at restoring vision, received the US FDA’s “breakthrough device” designation on Tuesday. Notably, the FDA’s breakthrough tag is given to medical devices that show promise in treating serious conditions and allow for expedited development and review processes.
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According to Mr Musk, the device could potentially help individuals who have lost their eyes and optic nerves, as well as those born without sight. He also stated that while the initial visual output is expected to be low-resolution, future iterations could potentially “be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths”.
The device is still in its experimental stages. Neuralink is working towards building a brain chip interface that can be implanted within the skull. This could help disabled patients to move and communicate again, and also restore vision. Neuralink’s device has a chip that processes and transmits neural signals that could be transmitted to devices like a computer or a phone.
Additionally, the startup is separately testing an implant designed to give paralysed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone, a prospect that could help people with spinal cord injuries.
