Two incredible Neuralink meetings today. One was with Neuralink's Lead BCI Engineer, Sehej. As he has done for the past several meetings, he brought in (with my consent) new Neuralink hires who are helping to improve the user experience from every angle. They don't want random and thoughtless use of the N1, but aim for it to function proactively for as many real-world applications as possible. They are paying for Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, the #1 Spinal Cord Injury hospital in the world, to visit N1 recipients at home to offer the very best Assistive Tech available, to see if the N1 lacks in any way. Neuralink doesn't just want fanboys to say they are awesome because...Elon Musk. They want to create, iterate, improve, and offer the absolute best technology on Planet Earth.
In my pre-accident life, I was a Revit super-user. It is an incredibly complex, advanced CAD software that could design the most complicated buildings in the world. I was the Revit Lead for the construction company I worked for, and it was my job to train engineers and all users. When I went to Craig Hospital for SCI acute rehab, they put me into one of the most advanced Assistive Tech environments in the country. They provided and trained me on the best, very expensive tech in the world...and it fell short. The complexity of maneuvers, shortcuts, commands, and moves one needs to utilize Revit was well beyond the capabilities of the top assistive tech available. Last year, a company that brands themselves the Noninvasive Neuralink heard about me as a Revit expert. They wanted to show that their product can do everything Neuralink can do, but noninvasively.
They built a prototype for me. They flew their Founder and CFO out to spend several days testing it with me. It didn't work. It's amazing tech, but it cannot handle the firepower that advanced CAD requires. Just moments before I went into Neuralink surgery, my surgeon
@AmadioMD talked to my wife and me about my hopes and expectations. I told him about Revit. He heard me out, learned quickly its complexities, and assured me he was "very confident" I will be able to use it at full functionality with my N1 implant. Last month, I sent Sehej this demo video I created of a Revit component I had created and offered for sale as a consultant. If you watched
@NeuraPod's video, you know I launched my CAD business on the morning of my accident.
Sehej is committed to make Revit work for me, and today solicited feedback on specific commands to integrate into my BCI. Like Dr. Amadio, I am confident N1 will enable the most severely injured members of society, like me, to return to useful work and participation in life. Neuralink doesn't just have the willpower, but they also have the firepower. These are some of the brightest minds I've ever encountered (Sehej,
@cchriskeach etc), coupled with amazing patience and humility. Looking forward to creating a solution that includes those of us who have been marginalized for so long. Thank you
@elonmusk. If we get it to work, I promise I will upload side-by-side videos, using hands versus using the N1.
The other amazing meeting was Cyborg Get-Together #2, but I will save that for its own post!