Elon Musk's Neuralink raises $650 million in fresh capital

Elon Musk's brain tech startup Neuralink has closed a $650 million funding round, the company announced on Monday. ARK Invest, Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners and other firms participated in the round, according to a release. Neuralink said the fresh capital will help the company bring its technology to more patients and develop new devices that "deepen the connection between biological and artificial intelligence." Neuralink is building a brain-computer interface, or a BCI, which is a system that translates brain signals into commands for external technologies. The company's first system, called Telepathy, involves 64 "threads" that are inserted directly into the brain. The threads are thinner than a human hair and record neural signals through 1,024 electrodes, according to Neuralink's website. The initial aim of the technology is to help patients with severe paralysis restore some independence. As of Monday, five patients have been imp ... Read full article.