Neuralink, the neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk, may be able to help restore hearing at some point.
That is according to Musk himself, who revealed that “there is a clear path” for the company’s brain-computer interface (BCI) to help the deaf and those who are hard of hearing.
“There is a clear path to restoring hearing with a Neuralink, even for someone who has had total loss of hearing since birth, as our device directly activates the neurons in the brain that process sound,” Musk stated.
Neuralink has already had one breakthrough with its revolutionary chip, which is implanted into the brain.
Musk’s company tested it on a paralyzed man named Noland Arbaugh, who is capable of controlling a computer with his mind.
Neuralink is also on the brink of human trials for implants that might be able to help the blind, as well as those with lesser, but still substantial, vision issues.
“In the next six to 12 months, we’ll be doing our first implants for vision, where even if somebody is completely blind, we can write directly to the visual cortex,” Musk told Y Combinator of the “Blindsight” implant.