#Elon Musk unveils working prototype of ‘brain-implant’ device

Elon Musk on Friday unveiled a working prototype of his firm’s much-anticipated brain-implant device — which the billionaire tech tycoon believes can cure everything from blindness to quadriplegia.

In an online presentation, Musk showed off his new Neuralink machine — and even showed off an early version of the gadget that he implanted in a pig.

“I think it’s going to blow your minds,” Musk told viewers. “It’s like a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires.”

The mind-bending invention — meant to achieve human “symbiosis with artificial intelligence” — removes a “coin-sized” piece of a person’s skull then injects a tiny chip to assist with the motor control and other functions, according to Musk.

The circular chip, injected near the ear, will also allow people to control phones or computers with their minds, according to Neuralink, which featured the live footage on its company website.

During the demonstration, Musk introduced a pig named Gertrude, who he said had successfully undergone a trial for installing device. The poor porker was shown with a tag near her ear — presumably where the device had been injected.

Musk’s demo also showcased a sewing-machine-like robot that installs the microchip by stitching it into the brain using thin electrode-studded wires.

Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, said the microchip is custom-built to receive and process neurological “spikes” in the brain, and the robotic sewing machine is programmed to dodge sensitive blood vessels.

“You can solve everything from memory loss to hearing loss and blindness,” Musk said Friday, adding the upgraded model “simplifies” a former version of the model.

The newly unveiled model was an updated version of one Musk presented last summer, which left some observers wondering if the gadget was a bold next step in human evolution — or a far-fetched fantasy.

Critics on Friday weren’t convinced, either.

“What could go wrong? Cancer, psychosis, mood swings, memory loss, dependency [on] a machine for any intelligent thought. Dangerous until it is studied further,” one observer tweeted.

Another added, “No thank you… i want to remain 100% human.”