Elon Musk thinks robotic limbs powered by brain chips could help amputees

“By combining a Neuralink implant and a robotic arm or leg for someone that has their arm or leg—or all arms or legs—amputated, we believe we can give basically a cyborg body that is incredibly capable.”

From Optimus to Cyborg Limbs - Separating Fact from Fiction

Musk has a mixed track record for ambitious promises and product ideas, leading some to question the feasibility of his latest vision. 

In the past, Musk has faced skepticism over timelines for projects like self-driving Teslas and the futuristic Tesla Roadster. However, he remains undeterred and steadfast in his pursuit of transformative technologies.

The Optimus humanoid robot project, revealed in late 2022, garnered much attention as Musk hailed it as the most crucial undertaking for Tesla, potentially rivaling its core car business in terms of revenue. 

Yet, concrete details about the progress and numbers of developed Optimus bots have been elusive, with Musk resorting to hyping and diverting into talking about high-tech prosthetics— an avenue of potential for the Optimus bot— when an investor asked about the progress of the bot.

Challenges and Promise for the Future

While Musk's vision for merging Neuralink's brain implant technology with Tesla's robotics shows great promise, significant challenges lie ahead. 

Both companies are still in the early stages of their respective endeavors, with Neuralink receiving FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval for its brain-machine interface (BMI) chip but not yet demonstrating its real-world efficacy. 

Similarly, Tesla's humanoid robot is in its infancy, with the company just beginning to develop actuators for rudimentary limb movements.

Despite these challenges, Elon Musk's track record of assembling top-notch talent and his relentless optimism keep the industry and investors intrigued. It remains to be seen whether his vision of the "Sixty-Thousand-Dollar Man" and advanced robotic limbs will become a reality.

In the ever-evolving world of Elon Musk, where the line between science fiction and reality is blurred, one can't help but wonder if we are witnessing the birth of a new era—one where cyborgs walk among us and human limitations are transcended by technology. 

As Musk's ambitious projects unfold, the future of prosthetics and robotics appears to be on an exciting trajectory, offering a glimmer of hope to some, and a sense of skepticism to others.