Remember when Elon Musk announced plans in July to implant a computer interface into the brain using laser beams? Tesla CEO Elon Musk says it will happen this year

On Sunday, Musk took to Twitter to share new details about NewLink, the company developing this sci-fi technology He said the next version of the company's invasive N1 brain chip will be "amazing" and could be tested on humans as early as this summer

"The huge impact of high-bandwidth, high-precision neural interfaces is underestimated," Mask said during an impromptu Neuralink Q&A session Neuralink could have this on humans as early as this year" But it has to be clearly superior to Utah Array

Neuralink scientists have developed an implantable chip that places 1,024 electrodes in the brain The chip is wired to an internal induction coil near the human ear and connected to a battery-powered Bluetooth link on the outside of the skin This interface allows the wearer to communicate with a computer or smartphone

The N1 promises a better link-up solution than existing devices, namely the industry-standard Utah Array The Utah Array uses microneedles to connect to fewer electrodes and has been used to study neurological disorders such as epilepsy, but implanting it requires removal of part of the skull

When Mask debuted Neuralink last summer, the company's team described the device as a robot that could sew probes into the brain, implant the chip through a 2-millimeter incision, and close the cut within an hour

Mask called the process "high-precision microelectrode insertion that automatically bypasses the vascular system"

Neuralink's mission is primarily medical, with Mask stating that the chip "will eventually be used to replace the entire portion of the brain lost due to stroke/accident/congenital disease"

"I don't want to get too excited, but the potential for restoring brain and motor function is truly transformative," says Mask 'There's no other way to do it'

Musk also suggests that neural link technology could be used to prevent AI from outwitting humans in the future He believes that a direct link between the human brain and the computer could prevent AI from becoming irreversibly unstable Rather, humans would be able to have a digital "superintelligence"

Yes, it is strange And am I horrified that a man whose current Twitter bio says he was "born 69 days after 4/20" is trying to implant a computer in our brains? Of course not In fact, I will lose no sleep over it

But as with in-body computers like Mojo's AR contact lenses, there are several hoops to jump through before patients can be linked The process could take years, and it usually takes many more years before the technology becomes available to the general public