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Elon Musk, a US tech mogul(大亨), founder of SpaceX and co-founder of electric car maker Tesla, has been working on this technology. On Aug 28, Musk gave a livestream(直播) demonstration of the chip which was implanted into the head of a pig named Gertrude.
The chip, developed by Musk’s company Neuralink, is the size of a coin. But don’t let its size fool you. The tiny chip has over 3,000 electrodes (电极) attached to flexible threads, which can monitor about 1,000 neurons (神经元). It collects neural signals from an area of the brain, and then transmits those signals wirelessly to nearby computers, according to MSN. In the livestream, Gertrude could be seen walking around her pen sniffing (嗅) the ground while a monitor showed her brain activity.
Though the technology is still in its early stage, it is encouraging for humans. “This technology would solve a lot of brain/spine injuries and is ultimately (最终) essential for AI symbiosis (共生), which allows the human brain to mix with an artificial intelligence.” Musk said in previous interviews.
When the device can be applied to humans, its main goal will be to help those who have mobility(行动) issues, such as those suffering from paralysis(瘫痪). Musk hopes this technology could also be used to help those with hearing and eyesight issues and one day lead to a cure for epilepsy(癫痫).
Although such a device could, in principle, repair those problems, putting it into practice is by no means a piece of cake. Currently, the device can transmit signals from about 500 neurons in the pig’s brain. Compared to 80 billion neurons in a human brain, this number is tiny. And to cover the whole human brain also means the electrodes have to be much smaller. Also, implanting the chip into the brain poses a potential danger. There is a risk of the immune system attacking this foreign body.
Right now, the hope of controlling the brain via controlling a few neurons seems overly optimistic. “There are many technological challenges to overcome before Neuralink can put its devices to the purposes,” Yuan Lanfeng, an associate professor of China, told China Daily.
1．What do we know about Elon Musk’s microchip according to the first three paragraphs?| A．It is able to collect wireless signals. | B．It was inspired by sci-fi movie plots. |
| C．It has no more than 1,000 electrodes. | D．It is tiny in size but powerful in function. |
| A．To develop a cure for epilepsy. |
| B．To monitor animals, brain activity. |
| C．To help people who have mobility issues. |
| D．To contribute to the research in AI technologies. |
| A．Potential problems in applying the chip to humans. |
| B．Key differences between pigs’ and humans’ brains. |
| C．How the immune system is the major obstacle to the implant. |
| D．The amount of time and money implanting the chip could cost. |
| A．Excited. | B．Cautious. | C．Optimistic. | D．Worried. |
同类型试题
y = sin x， x∈R， y∈[–1，1]，周期为2π，函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x， x∈[–1，1]， y∈[–π/2，π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2
y = sin x， x∈R， y∈[–1，1]，周期为2π，函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x， x∈[–1，1]， y∈[–π/2，π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2
