Neuralink continues its push in the brain-computer interface space with a third implant, while competitors and researchers accelerate advancements globally.
Category: Elon Musk
In future, doctors hope the technology could revolutionise the treatment of conditions such as depression, addiction, OCD and epilepsy by rebalancing disrupted patterns of brain activity.
Jacques Carolan, Aria’s programme director, said: “Neurotechnologies can help a much broader range of people than we thought. Helping with treatment resistant depression, epilepsy, addiction, eating disorders, that is the huge opportunity here. We are at a turning point in both the conditions we hope we can treat and the new types of technologies emerging to do that.”
The trial follows rapid advances in brain-computer-interface (BCI) technology, with Elon Musk’s company Neuralink launching a clinical trial in paralysis patients last year and another study restoring communication to stroke patients by translating their thoughts directly into speech.
Grok, the AI assistant integrated into the X platform, has been released as a standalone app, expanding its reach beyond the social media site. Developed by xAI, the app retains its signature conversational tone, which the company describes as “humorous and engaging.” Grok allows users to generate images, summarise text, and answer questions.
Initially launched in December 2024 for a limited set of users, the Grok app builds on X’s rollout of a free tier for the AI assistant. Previously, access to Grok was tied to an X Premium subscription, starting at $8 per month. The free tier allows 10 requests every two hours and three image analysis requests per day — restrictions that may also apply to the standalone app.
Users can sign in to the app using Apple, Google, or X accounts, or simply by email. It’s unclear if X Premium subscribers gain additional benefits when using the Grok app, as they do on X.
Jeff Bezos is back in the (astro) picture= hooray! [ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24eg7z7zgo](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24eg7z7zgo)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s space company has blasted its first rocket into orbit in a bid to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The New Glenn rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 02:02 local time (07:02 GMT).
It firmly pits the world’s two richest men against each other in a commercial space race, vying to fly bigger and more powerful rockets.
At some point these chats will move to our new secret media project blaxxky.
In this episode we discuss science and culture, magic, Elon Musk, Mars, and faster than light travel. The conversation will continue in the next episode.
The Chinese government is considering a plan that would have Elon Musk acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations to keep the app from being effectively banned, Bloomberg News reported Monday.
The contingency plan is one of several options China is exploring as the U.S. Supreme Court determines whether to uphold a law that calls for China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. business by Jan. 19, the report said, citing anonymous sources.
After that deadline, third-party internet service providers would be penalized for supporting TikTok’s operations in the country.
Neuralink Corp.’s brain-computer device has been implanted in a third patient and the company has plans for about 20 to 30 more implants in 2025, founder Elon Musk said.
“We’ve got now three humans with Neuralinks implanted and they’re all working well,” Musk said during an event in Las Vegas this week that was streamed on X, his social media service.
Neuralink is one of a growing group of startups developing brain implants that can help treat conditions such as paralysis and ALS. They are experimental procedures that usually require opening up the skull to place electrodes in the brain tissue. A year ago, Neuralink said it had implanted its device in its initial patient, Noland Arbaugh.
Neuralink has implanted its device in third human patient and plans more procedures in 2025. The device allows paralyzed individuals to control external devices with their thoughts. The company is conducting studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its brain implants. Neuralink aims to revolutionize neurotechnology.
HPE’s liquid-cooling technology may have played a role in the win, wrote Woo Jin Ho, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.
