Neuralink: What you need to know

History, Testing, Capabilities, and Motives

Nathan Already has a Brain-Computer Interface Implant

In 2004, Nathan Copeland was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. As a young man in college, this was devastating. Luckily though he was alive.

10 years after his accident a unique opportunity arose. He was contacted to be one of the first people to test a brain-computer interface to regain some independence by harnessing the power of his mind.

Since 2014 Nathan has had devices called “Utah arrays” implanted in his brain so that he can control robotic arms and other devices just by thinking. This was remarkable because it allowed him to interact with the outside world once again.

The robotics plug into the top of his head allowing him to control them with his thoughts. Here is a video of him controlling an exoskeleton to eat a taco!

Nathan is not alone. There are a handful of people who have lost use of limbs testing these technologies.

What technology are they using and who developed it?

They are using a Utah array, developed by Blackrock Neuroscience. Yes, that gave me the creeps too.

How is Neuralink different?

Neuralink offers a wireless connection and more electrodes to do fine motor control and connect to digital interfaces - like X.com from your phone. This would give people like Nathan even more independence by not relying on “plugging in.”

This is Good News, Right?

Giving paralyzed people independence is an extremely noble cause. It not only affects that individual, but also their families. The people who help care for people like Nathan get peace of mind that he can manage more tasks on his own. They can breathe a sigh of relief.

But we all know this is not the end game. These venture funds aren’t spending millions of dollars just to help an extremely small portion of the population regain independence.

The real money is replacing all the technology we use today with a single, implanted device that can track you and your thoughts.

The Neuralink Mission:

Read that last part again: “Unlock human potential tomorrow”

What does this mean?

Other Questions about Neuralink

Do I have to charge it?

Yes - apparently it charges wirelessly.

How does it connect to other devices?

Either wifi or Bluetooth. Not really sure yet. Everything I read just says ‘wirelessly’.

FDA approval already?

If you pay the FDA you can get things done. How do you think Tobacco Companies and Vaccine Manufacturers get their harmful products to market?

How is it implanted?

A giant sewing machine.

How long do Implants last? Can I get it removed?

No idea but I doubt removal is part of the go-to-market strategy. It won’t be easy to get these removed. And you thought deleting facebook was difficult….

Can You Turn it off?

I did not find anything confirming or denying but I doubt you would have this ability.

History of Neuralink: Follow the Money

To understand the motives, we need to look at history and follow the money.

2016 it was founded by Elon and others. It became publicly known in 2017 when they raised $107 million.

After a few years of development, they implanted a chip into a monkey’s brain and had it play a simple video game using its mind.

The reality is this could easily be faked, just like the carefully choreographed Humanoid Robot video Tesla released.

In 2019 Neuralink raised another $51 million.

In 2020 they put a sensor in a pig.

In 2021 they raised $205 million.

In 2024, they implanted a chip into their first human. Not sure who.

Follow the Money: Who is Funding Neuralink?

Besides Elon himself there seem to be a few parties involved.

Not to mention, Blackrock is also in the “Brain implant” Game.

What are the Obvious Downsides?

Elon is making bold claims for this new technology and making it clear that the overall strategy is to get this into the everyday person.

List of potential downsides

1. Pain - from surgery or migraines caused by having electrodes

2. Unforeseen side-effects - tumors, infections, etc

3. loss of control - imagine getting this implanted and it loses connection or worse, the technology’s capabilities cause crippling anxiety.

4. Hijacked thoughts - If Tesla can turn off your EV from a remote location, imagine what they could do with a brain chip!

We Don’t Need This Tech

What do Alexa, Apple fingerprint and face scanners, Crypto Currency, Electric Vehicles, and Brain-Computer Interfaces have in common?

They are worse for end users.

All of these technologies benefit the companies producing them (and the governments funding them) more than they benefit the common man. They give more control to the creators of the technology with limited benefits.

Let’s look at a few examples:

- Alexa at home is constantly gathering and storing data to give you targeted ads based on the conversations in the home.

- Apple biometric scanners are meant to track you. You log in with your fingerprint or face and Apple knows it’s you. It stores this information (aka where you logged in) in a database to sell to other companies and governments.

- Crypto is centralized financial control with no use cases yet.

- Electric Vehicles are worse than gas or diesel vehicles and completely relinquish control to the manufacturers who can shut them off at any time.

The Brain-Computer Interface is the worst yet because the tech lives inside you.

Neuralink and other devices like it will no doubt be capable of doing all of the above and maybe even more, like implanting memories and thoughts straight into your mind.

Mind control?

Data is currency. Where you go, how you feel, what you buy, what you say, what you look at, what you type, who you are with, and now what you think…it’s powerful information that can be used to control populations.

We have to stop this.

If everyday people start implanting Neuralink I believe it will quickly turn into a dependency. People will use Neuralink every day all day. Their thoughts will be assisted by AI. Their brain waves will be stored and used against them for advertising purposes or worse.

Protect “Freedom of Thought”

We are entering uncharted territory.

The Solution

Stop using these devices and stop investing in these companies’ stocks. Do not let large corporations and governments track you and your family.