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Neuralink still on track for first human trials by end of 2022

Credit: Neuralink

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Elon Musk shared a few updates on Neuralink, including that the company is still on track for human trials by the end of 2022. 

In February 2021, Musk shared that Neuralink was working “super hard” to make its brain implant safe. He also stated that Neuralink was closely communicating with the FDA to start initial human trials later that year. However, 2021 passed with no human trials. Earlier this year, Neuralink opened jobs for a Clinical Trial Director and Clinical Trial Coordinator, which suggested that the company is closer to testings its device on humans.

Recently, Musk noted that Neuralink might be able to address morbid obesity. The first time Musk broached the topic was during his TED interview with Chris Anderson. He told Anderson that Neuralink would focus on solving brain and spinal injuries within the next decade. 

“We’re working on bridging broken links between brain & body. Neuralinks in motor & Sensory cortex riding past weak/broken links in neck/spine to Neuralinks in spinal cord should theoretically be able to restore full body functionality,” Elon Musk said in response to a Teslarati article.

Musk also told Anderson that the Neuralink device could address health conditions like morbid obesity in the long run. Professor Andrew Jackson from Newcastle University — and an expert in neural interfaces — noted that Musk’s claims about Neuralink are probable. Jackson specifically stated that Neuralink implants are less invasive than other morbid obesity treatments. 

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Musk enumerated Neuralink’s main focuses to reach its current goals. He noted an “electronics/mechanical/software engineering problem” with the Neuralink implant. The SpaceX CEO compared the problem with the complexity of a smartwatch, which he admitted is not easy. Musk invited anyone who has experience in engineering and manufacturing smartwatches or phones to join Neuralink because their skills are “directly applicable.”

The Tesla CEO also highlighted that Neuralink is in the midst of developing its surgical robot, which is essential to linking the implant with the brain. Musk noted that the surgical robot is comparable to a state-of-the-art computer numerical control (CNC) machine.

According to a 2021 Neuralink video, the company’s brain implant consists of a “puck” containing the “secret sauce active electronics” and flexible electrodes that are around 50 microns wide, 5 microns thick, and 20 millimeters long. The electrodes attached to the puck were often referred to as “threads” in the video or compared to hair strands. The electrodes are very fragile. 

“Those tiny little flexible hairs are too small for a human to handle, even like with tweezers. And that’s where the robot comes in,” stated Jamie, a Neuralink electrical engineer. 

Learn more about the Neuralink Robot below!

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla’s Supercharger Diner probably just secured more locations

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tesla diner
Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles dominated the company’s global usage rankings after just one year, proving the concept is more than just a one-off novelty location that will fade away.

The performance could incite the company to build more locations, something that CEO Elon Musk has hinted at for some time.

Tesla’s Supercharger Diner delivered 21.2 GWh of energy in its first year of operation, the company’s head of Charging, Max de Zegher, revealed on X. Of the top 10 most utilized Supercharger locations in Tesla’s global infrastructure, the Diner in Los Angeles was the most used by drivers, and it wasn’t particularly close:

On its launch day one year ago, nobody was too sure what the Tesla Diner would be about. It seemed like an interesting concept, and considering it had been in the works for years, it was a highly anticipated launch that many were looking forward to.

Based on its success, we could see additional Diners with Superchargers built throughout the United States, and potentially beyond. Musk has said on several occasions that the company would be willing to bring the Diner idea to more markets.

Tesla makes major change at Supercharger Diner amid epic demand

Of the markets that Musk has mentioned, both Palo Alto and Austin have come to be perceived as ideal selections. However, there are no concrete plans as of now to build new Supercharger Diners anywhere; the location on Santa Monica Boulevard will remain the exclusive spot to pick up Tesla-inspired eats, at least for the time being.

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Tesla short sellers win big after shares fall after earnings

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A red Tesla Roadster driving around a turn
(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla short sellers won big following the company’s massive fall on Wall Street after it reported subpar Earnings on Wednesday.

Tesla short sellers collected about $4.12 billion in single-day profits on Thursday, according to BloombergShares fell as much as 15 percent during Thursday’s session. It closed as one of the worst days for Tesla on Wall Street in the past three years.

Investors sold off the stock after Tesla said it would aggressively direct its spending toward AI and its Optimus robot project. The company had record revenues, which were driven by one of the strongest quarters in terms of vehicle deliveries in company history.

However, it missed EPS estimates by reporting just $0.33, a far cry from the $0.53 analysts expected.

S3 Partners reported that about 3 percent of Tesla’s outstanding stock is sold short. Managing Director at S3, Ihor Dusaniwsky, provided the short seller’s potential profit, as well as another figure: shorts have likely had paper gains of $8.92 billion this year, as Tesla shares are down 30 percent in 2026.

Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue

Tesla has burned short sellers many times in the past, but the company’s latest Earnings Call was a chance for those skeptics to taste some payback. Although the company gave some very transparent information regarding future projects, the rollout of Robotaxi, Optimus, and Semi, many investors took their profits on Thursday.

Notable short sellers like Michael Burry have been transparent about their skepticism around Tesla shares. Burry just revealed three weeks ago that he had opened up a new short on the stock, stating he shorted Tesla shares at $416.22. “Happy it jumped back to this level,” he said in a blog post.

At the time of publication, Tesla shares were down about 3 percent and the stock was trading at $309.92.

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Tesla door handle saga gets its latest chapter and a big change is coming

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Credit: Tesla | Model 3 Owner's Manual

Tesla’s long-standing saga regarding its door handles and a manual release has entered its latest chapter, and as a result, a big change is coming.

On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denied Tesla’s petition that was seeking a defect investigation into roughly 180,000 Model 3 vehicles for an issue involving the emergency mechanical door release.

NHTSA said that Tesla’s petition did not present evidence of a safety-related defect in the door handles or their emergency releases. Instead, the agency determined that it would rather solve the issue of the lack of labeling or location of emergency mechanical door releases and the federal safety rules that govern them.

Essentially, the NHTSA wants to create and enforce rules that would require automakers to make emergency door latch releases more clearly labeled in a car. Despite a Tesla having manual door releases on all four passenger doors, many people do not know they exist or how they work.

Tesla addresses door handle complaints with simple engineering fix

In recent times, Tesla has faced some criticism involving its door handles, specifically because some occupants have reported that they are unable to exit their vehicles after losing power. The door handles on a Tesla are electronically operated, but in the event that the 12V battery dies, there is a manual release that can be used.

The NHTSA only identified a single complaint involving the mechanical door releases: a 2022 Model 3 owner said the release was concealed and unlabeled after the vehicle lost power after a front-end collision. It has also already started to create a separate rulemaking process to make emergency door-egress systems more obvious.

It should be noted that all Teslas have mechanical emergency door releases, but they are placed in various locations as the vehicles have aged and been redesigned from year to year. Refer to the safety manual for your vehicle if you have any confusion about where the emergency releases are and how they work.

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