Elon Musk's Blindsight brain implant, which gives blind people the ability to see, has been cleared by the FDA as a 'breakthrough technology'

Elon Musk’s Blindsight implanted brain has reached a major milestone. Geordi la Forge is now wearing it. It's been granted Breakthrough Device Designation (BDD) by the FDA. Musk celebrated by referencing the Star Trek character with enhanced vision in an X-post.

Musk claims that the Neuralink device can restore vision not only to those who are blind, but also to someone born blind.

"The Blindsight from Neuralink device will enable those who have lost their eyes and optic nerve to see. Musk announced the FDA decision in an X message. "If the visual cortex is intact it will allow those who were blind from birth to be able to see for the very first time."

The FDA grants "breakthrough" status to experimental medical devices which provide treatment or diagnose life-threatening conditions. This is done to speed up the development and review of current devices.

Blindisght's capabilities are not yet clear. The basic idea is to use a microelectrode-array embedded in the cortex of the eye and stimulate neurons. This approach, in itself, is not new. Musk did say the following:

"Setting expectations correctly will allow you to expect that the vision at first will be low resolution like Atari graphics. But eventually, it could be better than your natural vision, allowing you to see infrared or ultraviolet wavelengths, or even radar waves, like Geordi La Forge."

Musk and his team of engineers founded Neuralink in 2016 with the goal of creating brain implants that could help with a variety of disabilities ranging from locomotion, sight and communication.

The company has been testing a chip which allows the recipient to communicate digital devices with just their thoughts, including playing Counter-Strike.

Musk's description of the device has already received some criticism. The problem with this technology in the past was essentially low resolution, dictated by the amount of electrodes implanted in the brain. This has amounted only to a few dozen electrodes.

Neuralink is reportedly making advancements in electrode density. Even an old Atari 2600 has a resolution of 30000 pixels. It's still a long way before we can have Atari-quality vision.

As TechCrunch explains, giving someone who is blind from birth sight presents a different problem.

It is misleading for Musk to suggest otherwise, though I suspect the blind and low-vision community is used to sighted people making this kind of mistake. Musk's claim is misleading, but I suspect that the blind and low vision community is used to sighted individuals making this type of mistake.

Perhaps the usual Musk-esque hubris was involved. The hubris that surrounds all his public-facing ventures is perhaps involved.

Let's wish Neuralink success and hope it comes with a little less of Musk's constant grandstanding.