Meet the 8-foot-tall robot designed to insert Elon Musk's Neuralink AI brain chip — here's how it works

• Neuralink held a live demo showing off its ability to read the brain activity of a pig with a surgically implanted chip that transmits data wirelessly.

• Musk founded the neural tech company in 2016, and says the chip will enable a "symbiosis" between the human brain and AI.

• Engineers built a robot to implant the device that would work in clinical settings and make patients feel comfortable.

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Elon Musk's neural technology startup Neuralink showed off a demo about the tiny brain chip the company has been developing. The chip, which Musk described as "a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires," contains over 1000 wires that can read or write brain activity.

The neural chip will be inserted surgically by a robot, which is designed to plant the chip and wires while avoiding damage to the brain or blood vessels. Musk says that the process takes hours, and leaves only a small scar.

Neuralink's engineers created the robot and its technology, then teamed up with Woke Studios industrial designers to productize the robot and design the outer enclosure. In a press release, Woke Studios said that it focused on a design that would work in a clinical setting, while also looking futuristic but not scary.

Take a look.

The robot is nearly eight feet tall and can move along five axes.

This size and range of motion are necessary to guide the needle for precise insertion.

The head holds and guides the needle that inserts the chip.

It also holds cameras and sensors focused on the brain.

Woke studios based the design off of other, less invasive types of medical equipment to make the device less intimidating.

Woke studios says the robot has to be white for sterility, but "pinch-points" where the device moves are in different colors.

The body is the source of movement, and is curved rather than designed with harsh lines.

Finally the base is the source of processing power for the machine, and also provides ventilation.

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