Neuralink is a brain-machine interface device developed by Elon Musk's company that will be surgically implanted in a person's brain. It consists of micron-scale threads inserted into areas of the brain that control movement, with electrodes that can detect neural signals. The device aims to help treat neurological conditions and potentially allow people to control devices with their minds. While still in development, Neuralink has demonstrated its ability to allow a monkey to interact with a computer via brain activity. However, more testing is still needed before human trials can begin.

2. What is Neuralink?
2
Neuralink is a device,
specifically, a Brain-Machine
Interface, that will be surgically
implanted into your brain and
with it, you’ll be able to
communicate with machines
and even control them.
https://www.cnet.com/news/

3. Why Neuralink?
3
➢ Helps people with severe spinal cord injury by giving them the ability to control computers
and mobile.
➢ Restoring motor and sensory function and the treatment of neurological disorders.
➢ Preserve and enhance your own brain.
➢ Security will be built into every layer of the product, using strong cryptography, defensive
engineering, and extensive security auditing.
➢ You’ll be able to communicate with machines and even control them.

4. Overview
4
➢ The Link processes, stimulates, and transmits
neural signals.
➢ Surgically transplanted inside head.
➢ Micron-scale threads are inserted into areas of
the brain that control movement.
➢ Compact inductive charger wirelessly
connects.
➢ It has potential to treat brain disorders and
other medical problems.
➢ Give us the power to interact with and control
machines using our minds.
Source: https://neuralink.com/approach/

5. Electronics
5
https://Neuralink-White-Paper.pdf
➢ Application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is
used.
➢ A number of ASICs are integrated into a
standard printed circuit board (PCB).
➢ Each system consists of a field-programmable
gate array (FPGA)
○ real-time temperature
○ Accelerometer
○ Magnetometer sensors
○ a single USB-C connector
➢ The systems are packaged in titanium cases
which are coated with parylene-c.

6. Neural Thread
6
➢ Each small and flexible thread contains many electrodes for
detecting neural signals.
➢ Thread thickness is nominally 4 to 6 µm.
➢ Typical thread length is approximately 20 mm.
➢ The main substrate and dielectric used in these probes is
polyimide.
➢ Each array has 48 or 96 threads, each of those containing 32
independent electrodes.
➢ Metal film are at sub-micron resolution.
Individual electrodes for the thread design

7. Working
7
➢ Principle of Brain Machine Interface.
➢ Neurons communicate with each
other by sending and receiving very
small electrical signals, these signals
can be heard with advanced
electrical sensors.
➢ Signal processing has
○ Preprocessing
○ feature extraction and
○ feature translation.
researchgate.net/Block-diagram-of-a-wireless-BCI-system

8. How Neuralink is different from other BMI devices?
8
➢ There are currently only a few approved
devices for recording or stimulating from
the human brain.
➢ These are designed to modulate the
activity of whole brain areas, not to
transfer information to and from the
brain.
➢ The Link has more electrodes and with
flexible threads.
➢ The Link will also perform real-time spike
detection on every channel.
Deep-Brain-Stimulation

9. How is it placed in the body?
9
➢ A robotic system will be used.
➢ The neurosurgical robot capable of inserting six threads
per minute.
➢ Have an auto-insertion mode feature.
➢ Each thread can be individually inserted into the brain with
micron precision.
➢ The needle is driven by a linear motor allowing variable
insertion speeds and rapid retraction acceleration.
Neuralink-White-Paper

10. The Neuralink App
10
The Neuralink app would allow you to control your iOS
device, keyboard and mouse directly with the activity of
your brain, just by thinking about it.
neuralink.com/approach/

11. Challenges in making scalable BMI
11
➢ Scale up the number of electrodes while also building a safe and effective clinical
system that users can take home and operate by themselves.
➢ The threads have to resist corrosion from fluid in the tissue, and the electrodes must
have sufficient surface area to allow stimulation.
➢ Scaling these devices requires on-chip, real-time identification and characterization
of neural spikes.
➢ Design adaptive algorithms that maintain reliable and robust performance.

12. Current Status
12
➢ A monkey has apparently been able to interact
with a computer.
➢ Musk introduced a video of a pig called
Gertrude, who had the chip implanted in her
brain for two months.
➢ It still needs to go through the required
approvals and safety testing before it can be
implanted in humans.
➢ There are obvious concerns about placing
electronics inside people’s heads and there
need to be studies looking at the long-term
effects.
monkey-brain-chip-playing-videogame-thinking

13. 13
https://www.youtube.com/
LINK V.0.9

14. Conclusion
14
➢ Neuralink has developed advanced solution to existing medical problems.
➢ It will surely create a well aligned future.
➢ Implantation will be done in less than a hour and leave hospital the same
day.
➢ Neuralink is still at an early stage (it’s at version 0.9).
➢ We have no current idea of how much the brain chips will cost.

15. 15
➢ https://neuralink.com/
➢ https://www.itpro.co.uk/technology/357528/what-is-neuralink
➢ https://medium.com/the-treatise/neuralink-explained-how-exactly-will-we-talk-to-
machines-using-our-brain
➢ https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6204648/Neuralink-White-Paper.pdf
➢ https://www.thedailystar.net/toggle/news/elon-musks-neuralink-shows-monkey-br
ain-chip-playing-videogame-thinking-2075217
➢ https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Deep
-Brain-Stimulation
References

16. 16
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