Elon Musk Reveals Neuralink V2

Summary

Elon Musk's Neuralink has successfully performed its second human surgery, with over 400 electrodes delivering promising brain signals. The Cybertruck's durability is showcased in various tests, and Tesla's refreshed Model Y, 'Juniper,' is leaked with a unique light bar. Tesla also marks a milestone with the production of their 10 millionth Drive Unit, potentially signaling a return to supplying other automakers. Additionally, Musk is opening a school, Ad Astra, focusing on hands-on learning in STEM.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Neuralink's second human surgery was a success with over 400 electrodes providing signals from the patient's brain.
• 🔌 The updated Neuralink Gen 2 implant has fewer electrodes per thread, increasing confidence in thread's neuron reachability.
• 🚀 Neuralink aims to significantly increase the bandwidth of brain-computer communication, potentially reaching megabit scale in the future.
• 🛠️ Tesla has built more drive units than they currently need, with production reaching 10 million units, making them a potential supplier to other automakers.
• 🔋 Tesla's drive units have seen a significant reduction in cost over time, now being less than half the cost of the original Model S units.
• 🔧 Tesla's production capabilities have increased to a point where a new Drive Unit is produced every 5 seconds.
• 🚜 Cybertruck has been tested for durability and shown to be capable of replacing traditional work vehicles like the Ford F350.
• 🔥 There has been a leak of the refreshed Model Y, codenamed Juniper, showing new features such as a light bar and ambient interior lighting.
• 🏫 Elon Musk is opening a new school called Ad Astra, focusing on hands-on project-based learning and STEM integration.
• 🎓 Ad Astra's educational approach aims to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in young students.
• 🔄 Tesla's early history includes collaborations and supplying components to other automakers like Daimler and Toyota, hinting at a possible resurgence of such partnerships.

Q & A

What recent development did Elon Musk's Neuralink achieve?

Neuralink successfully performed its second human surgery, with Elon Musk stating that the procedure went extremely well and that they are receiving good signals from the electrodes.

How many electrodes are currently active in the second Neuralink patient's brain?

Over 400 electrodes are providing signals from the second patient's brain, indicating a successful majority of thread insertions.

What was the issue with the first Neuralink recipient, Nolan Arbok?

Nolan Arbok has a little over 100 electrodes remaining in his cortex out of 1024 that were implanted, due to an issue with thread retraction that disabled 85 to 90% of the total connection.

How has Neuralink updated its Gen 2 implant to improve on the previous version?

The updated Neuralink Gen 2 implant has fewer electrodes per thread (8 instead of 16), as the company now has higher confidence in the thread's ability to reach neurons, requiring fewer electrodes for the same coverage.

What potential improvements in electrode count could Neuralink achieve in the future?

Engineers at Neuralink have suggested moving to a higher thread count to increase the number of information channels to the brain, potentially reaching up to 3,000 channels.

What is the current data transmission rate for Neuralink's first patient, Nolan, and what is the potential for improvement?

Nolan is currently operating at around 10 bits per second, but Elon Musk believes this can be increased to 100 BPS, and within 5 years, it could reach the megabit scale of 1 million bits per second.

What is the significance of the Cybertruck's performance in durability tests?

The Cybertruck has shown its toughness in durability tests, including being shot with handguns and having its rear frame torn off during an extreme towing test, demonstrating its resilience.

What is the significance of Tesla's production of their 10 millionth Drive Unit?

This milestone makes Tesla likely the world's largest supplier of electric vehicle drive units and highlights their ability to design and build these units from the ground up, reducing costs over time.

What is the potential application of Tesla's drive units beyond their own vehicles?

Tesla may become an automotive supplier, selling their drivetrain technology to third parties, as they have done in the past with Daimler and Toyota.

What is the refreshed version of Tesla's Model Y known as, and what are some of its expected features?

The refreshed version of Tesla's Model Y is known as Project Juniper. It is expected to include upgrades such as new front headlights, interior lighting, a unique tail light bar, ambient lighting, and perforated seats for additional ventilation.

What is Elon Musk's new school called, and what is its educational approach?

Elon Musk's new school is called Ad Astra, and it focuses on hands-on, project-based learning that fosters curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, with an emphasis on integrating STEM into the curriculum.