--- title: "Neuroscientist: There Was a Huge Problem With Neuralink’s Demo" description: "On August 28, Elon Musk showed off his secretive startup Neuralink’s brain computer interface. The company showed off a coin-sized prototype of an implant that’s meant to sit just underneath the skull to one day be able to read and write information from the brain. Musk called it “kind of like a Fitbit in your […]" date: "2020-09-04" modified: "2020-09-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/neuroscientist-problem-neuralink-demo" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Prosthetics and Devices" tags: - "brain computer interface" - "elon musk" - "neuralink" - "the digest" --- # Neuroscientist: There Was a Huge Problem With Neuralink’s Demo ![But not everybody was impressed with Neuralink's recent demo. To many experts, the demo seems to have raised far more questions than it was able to answer.]() *\Image: Woke Studios\* ## Not Impressed On August 28, Elon Musk [showed off]() an early version of his secretive startup Neuralink's brain computer interface. He demonstrated a coin-sized prototype, implanted in a pig's skull, that's meant to read and write information from the brain. Musk called it "kind of like a Fitbit in your skull, with tiny wires" during the event, and said it could solve a number of disorders, from depression to brain damage. But not everybody was impressed. To many experts, the demo seems to have raised far more questions than it was able to answer. "Let me give a more specific concern: The device we saw was placed over a single sensorimotor area," John Krakauer, chief medical and scientific officer at MindMaze and professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University, [told *Inverse*](). ## Studded Belt Krakauer's logistical concern: could one Neuralink device really give access to the entire brain? "If we want to read thoughts rather than movements (assuming we knew their neural basis) where do we put it?" he added. "How many will we need? How does one avoid having one’s scalp studded with them? No mention of any of this of course." ## Big Huh Krakauer wasn't the only unimpressed neuroscientist. "In terms of their technology, 1,024 channels is not that impressive these days, but the electronics to relay them wirelessly is state-of-the-art, and the robotic implantation is nice," Andrew Jackson, professor of neural interfaces at Newcastle University said in a [*Science Media Center* statement](). "The biggest challenge is what you do with all this brain data," Jackson added. "The demonstrations were actually quite underwhelming in this regard, and didn't show anything that hasn't been done before." **READ MORE:** [Neuralink: 3 neuroscientists react to Elon Musk’s brain chip reveal]() \[*Inverse*\] **More on Neuralink:** *[PETA Is Really Upset With Elon Musk For Testing Neuralink on Pigs]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()