The end of cell phones seems closer than many imagine, and Elon Musk already has a replacement. Through his company Neuralink, the magnate is betting on a technology that will allow direct connections between the human brain and computers.
Musk asserted that in the future, physical devices, like smartphones, will be obsolete. Through neural implants—chips that link the brain to computers—people will be able to browse the internet, send messages, or control deices solely with their thoughts, without the need for screens or external interfaces.
The New Technology That Will Replace Cell Phones
Elon Musk surprised the world with his futuristic prediction that neural implants will completely replace smartphones. And his approach isn’t just theoretical; Neuralink has already conducted successful trials, first in animals and recently in humans, such as the case of Noland Arbaugh, who received the company’s first brain implant.
Thanks to this innovative brain-computer interface, Arbaugh was able to control a computer with just his thoughts, performing activities such as writing, surfing the internet and even playing video games.
Musk maintains that, within a few years, these brain implants will be safe and advanced enough to be widely adopted. This way, the need to carry a physical device like cell phone would disappear completely.
Neural Implants Will Be the New Way to Communicate
The chip implanted by Neuralink measures 23 millimeters in diameter and 8 millimeters thick. It is equipped with 1,024 electrodes distributed on ultra-thin wires that are inserted into specific areas of the brain using a surgical robot.
Once installed, the device detects electrical signals generated by motor thoughts and converts them into digital commands that are transmitted wirelessly. This allows the user to control external devices naturally and without physical effort
Although it still faces technical and ethical challenges, Musk is confident that this technology will become a natural extension of the human mind, that would fundamentally change the way we interact with the digital world.
Thus, Elon Musk imagines a future where cell phones will be just a memory, and the connection to technology will be as immediate and fluid as a thought.