Elon Musk's main focus may be on electric cars and space travel, but he's also interested in hooking up our brains directly to a computer. And in a couple of days, he's going to demonstrate how that works.
Back in 2017, Musk revealed he'd started a new business venture called Neuralink. It took the form of a medical research company with a focus on technology called "neural lace." Its purpose: to create a direct connection between the human brain and a computer, but without the need of a physical interface. As Engadget reports, Musk is now ready to show off a working version of his Neuralink system.
In a tweet earlier today, Musk announced a live webcast on Aug. 28 at 3 p.m. PT. We're expecting to see some form of head-mounted tech without wires and a computer reacting to the thoughts of the wearer.
In July 2019, Musk hosted a Neuralink launch event, which you can watch above. It covered the three main reasons Neuralink exists: to understand and better treat brain disorders, to preserve and enhance our brains, and to "create a well-aligned future." Musk also explained his desire to "form a symbiosis with artificial intelligence" and to merge with it.
Also detailed at that launch event was a "sewing machine robot" used to install electrodes in our brain, which would then connect to a pod worn on the head and expected to sit behind an ear. Musk also confirmed on Twitter that we can expect to see V2 of this robot on Friday, and that in a few years the installation process involving the robot will be nearly as simple as LASIK procedures are today.