Elon Musk envisions a future where physically handicapped people’s abilities could surpass the able-bodied.
That’s what he said during Neuralink’s latest update when discussing future integrations between Neuralink and Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot.
He said Neuralink patients could give commands simply by thinking. That would enable even those who can’t speak or move to control Optimus through the brain-computer interface.
In the future, he said, patients could have robotic arms or legs connected to Neuralink controlled by the brain.
Neuralink recently announced it had completed its second successful transplant. The patient, a quadriplegic named Alex, successfully used the brain-computer interface to control digital devices with his mind.
He could move a computer cursor, play video games, and even design 3D CAD objects using Autodesk 360 Fusion.
Neuralink said that the testing shows their brain-computer interface could enable people with limited mobility to perform complex tasks using just their brain signals.
On X, Elon Musk said he hopes to have Neuralinks installed in hundreds of people in the next few years. If all goes well, he said, millions of people could have the brain chips in a decade.
Update about the second Neuralink device in a human.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 22, 2024
If all goes well, there will be hundreds of people with Neuralinks within a few years, maybe tens of thousands within 5 years, millions within 10 years, … https://t.co/opy1xj5JgF
Elon Musk announced the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot during Tesla’s 2021 AI Day. Also known as Tesla Bot, Optimus is engineered to take on tasks that are unsafe, repetitive, or boring for humans.
Its development is watched closely. As of July 2024, Tesla plans to manufacture the robot in limited quantities in 2025 for internal use and offer it to other companies in 2026.
Musk has set high standards for Optimus, predicting the project will eventually boost Tesla’s market cap to 25 trillion dollars.
Standing around 5 foot 8 and weighing 125 lbs, Optimus features advanced AI and automation tech developed by Tesla for their electric vehicles. Tesla plans to incorporate its Full Self-Driving computer into the Tesla Bot, adapted for bipedal locomotion and task execution.
In 2024, a small number of Optimus robots started working in Tesla’s Gigafactory in 2024.