Elon Musk Doubles Down On Claim That Brain Chip Can Treat Morbid Obesity
Elon Musk really seems to believe that a brain chip can treat morbid obesity, something that scientists have weighed in on as well. The device is, of course, the Neuralink, a computer interface that's implanted into the brain. It's suggested that this might someday be a quick and simple procedure, enabling all sorts of futuristic possibilities. A real chance of bypassing spinal cord injuries to restore movement seems exciting, and has a basis in reality, but other ideas seem less likely to come anytime soon.
It's no surprise that Neuralink made headlines since it's one of Elon Musk's companies. However, despite its early surge of interest, the company has been relatively quiet since its launch in 2015. Musk occasionally throws out a tidbit of information about progress but only a few demonstrations have been seen so far. Animal tests with rats, pigs, and monkeys have shown that the device is capable of connecting to the brain and picking up signals that can be processed by a computer. Human testing is supposedly the next step.
Related: Elon Musk’s Neuralink Could Be Gearing Up For First Human Trials
A brain interface to a computer is the sort of cyberpunk future that seems inevitable as humanity's worldwide reliance on technology is ever-increasing. What isn't as clear is how this could be used to treat obesity. Business Insider spoke with Sadaf Farooqi, a Cambridge professor of metabolism and medicine about the concept. Farooqi indicated that targeting the brain's hypothalamus to control appetite might work. Early research into this particular technique had mixed results, but the technology used was different to Neuralink. Elon Musk commented on a similar story from Teslarati, describing this as an
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