Elon Musk has realized the interconnection between brain-computer interface and robot vacuum cleaners.

Wow, Elon Musk's brain-computer interface, can already help us sweep the floor with our mind!

Yep, no need to touch the remote control, or even say a word out loud.

The moment the thought of cleaning pops up in your head, the robotic vacuum cleaner will start working on its own and move around the living room.

This is absolutely stunning.

Just now, the robotic vacuum company Matic released a video.

Zach McManus, the 22nd Neuralink recipient who lives with ALS, sits quietly in his wheelchair without touching the remote control, and only relies on the movement intentions in his mind to command a robotic vacuum to move around his home.

Netizens couldn't help but exclaim after watching it:

This is absolutely amazing!

So why did Matic develop this robotic vacuum? What exactly can it help us do? And who built it?

Let's take a look.

One cleaning task, a little more control over life back

Everything starts with Zach being diagnosed with ALS.

ALS, commonly known as "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis", as the disease progresses, patients may gradually lose the ability to move their limbs, speak, and even breathe independently, and there is still no cure for this condition at present.

Famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and former vice president of JD Group Cai Lei have both been deeply troubled by this disease.

To regain control of his phone and computer, Zach joined Neuralink's PRIME trial, implanted the N1 brain-computer interface under Elon Musk's banner in his brain, and became the 22nd Neuralink recipient.

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This brain-computer interface can capture his motor intentions in his mind, and translate thoughts such as "move" and "click" into digital commands.

Only 28 hours after the surgery, Zach controlled his phone with his mind for the first time, and was so delighted that he couldn't stop laughing:

I couldn't stop laughing at all back then, and I still laugh when I think about it now, hahaha!

But he is not satisfied with only regaining control limited to the phone screen;

Beyond the screen, Zach set his sights on the robotic vacuum cleaner.

At an X Takeover event, Zach met the Matic team and asked a rather sci-fi question on the spot:

Can I use my own Neuralink to control your robotic vacuum cleaner?

The Matic team thought it over carefully, and finally took on this challenge;

It wasn't long before this mind-controlled cleaning robot arrived at Zach's home, helping him clean every corner of the living room.

In this way, he regained another action that he can take full control of in his daily life.

What can Matic do?

The Matic that Zach controls with his mind is itself rather distinctive.

Most ordinary disc-shaped robotic vacuums lie low on the ground, using LiDAR to determine their current position;

But Matic stands at a higher height, and is equipped with 5 RGB cameras.

Relying on these "eyes", it can draw a 3D map of the room locally while moving around.

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No matter if the living room is covered with carpet or wooden floor, no matter if there are shoes, cables or pet toys on the ground, it can identify all objects on its own, and decide by itself whether to vacuum or mop the floor.

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If someone accidentally spills a drink on the floor, it can directly suck up the liquid stain as well.

However, it currently cannot clean narrow spaces such as under sofas, and the dust bag and water tank still need manual handling;

So there is still much room for improvement, and its cost-effectiveness at 1495 USD (about 9974.64 yuan) is slightly on the low side.

Two ex-Google employees spent nine years building the robotic vacuum cleaner

Interestingly, as early as more than ten years ago, the two founders of Matic, Navneet Dalal and Mehul Nariyawala, started thinking about "how to let people command machines in a more natural way".

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They both came from Google Nest, and long before that, the two co-founded the gesture recognition company Flutter.

During their tenure at Google, Navneet Dalal and Mehul Nariyawala were in charge of computer vision and product work respectively.

By 2017, they turned their attention to household robotic vacuum cleaners.

Back then, existing products could already move around the whole house independently, but they still got lost, tangled up in wires, got stuck on carpets, and even required the owner to tidy up the room in advance before they could safely start working.

So the two decided to build a robot that can truly "understand the home" from scratch.

This development process lasted for nine full years.

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Nowadays, Matic has more than 100 employees and has raised a total of 115 million US dollars in financing. The robot that they wanted to build years ago, which can truly "understand the home", is now stepping into the daily life of ALS patients in a way that can start working without lifting a finger, relying only on thoughts.

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One more thing

At the same time, Zach is far from the only person who is regaining control over his life one thing at a time with the help of Neuralink and mind control.

Another Neuralink recipient, Jake Schneider, has already driven his wheelchair outdoors, speeding forward all the way.

His hands never touched the joystick the whole time, and his thoughts act as the steering wheel.

Nick finally, four years after his limbs lost all mobility, can use his mind to command a robotic arm to pick up a water cup, bring food to him, and even scratch the itch that he could not reach long ago.

Brad Smith installed a pair of freely rotatable "eyes" on his wheelchair, so that he can finally turn his sight on his own and watch the whole game his son participated in.

That's really wonderful.

The "mind control over everything" that Elon Musk has been pursuing for many years has first benefited the people who need it the most, and has come true in those most ordinary but most essential little things in daily life.

It also helps them retrieve little by little the control over life that was taken away by the disease little by little.

References:

[1]https://x.com/maticrobots/status/2117311176657059992

[2]https://neuralink.com/[3]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iINSOB63WnQ

This article is from the WeChat official account "QbitAI", author: Wen Ting, published with authorization from 36Kr.