We all know that monkeys are smart, right? Neuralink and Tesla owner Elon Musk recently took this a step further. He proved that by means of employing telekinesis, a macaque monkey is able to play Pong cognitively!
Introducing Pager – The Monkey That is Next-Level Clever!
The South-African-born Elon Musk placed two Neuralink devices on either side of Pager’s brain and sit back to watch the monkey play Pong using his brain capacity. Pager is able to control a joystick and play the game while accepting the barter of a banana smoothie–all through a straw nonetheless.
How is This Even Possible?
By means of a series of tiny wire transmitters, located on the motor-cortex of its brain! The transmitters then record the brain activity. In turn, the information received was then able to predict the next movements.
Once the data was scaled, the monkey used it to play MindPong and move the cursor. Best of all? The joystick is not even plugged in and Pager uses a paddle associated with the popular arcade classic.
Of Course, There Are The Critics
Even though this capability of primates is nothing new, critics are still skeptical about how effective the test was, as they don’t have access to Neuralink’s proof of concept. One fact that they can’t deny is that the use of sensors via the dermis is definitely innovative at most.
The End Game
The aim of the Musk-Pager experiment is to enhance the pace of data on how it can flow from a human brain to a machine. Although it is early days in the experiment, Musk wants to improve the lives of disabled individuals by permitting them to use their minds to operate computers for a better quality of life! This will all be done at a much quicker pace than using a thumb to operate a mobile phone for example.
This is a mind-blowing initiative and another accolade-that if deployed successfully will add greatly to the reputation of Neuralink.
You can watch this exciting development on Pager’s progress by watching the video below:
