Elon Musk's groundbreaking brain-computer interface gets green light for human trials (2024)

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Elon Musk's groundbreaking brain-computer interface gets green light for human trials? ›

In 2023, the company announced it had won FDA approval to run its first clinical trial in humans. It began recruiting paralyzed volunteers to study whether the implant enables them to control external devices. This January, Musk said Neuralink had implanted a device in its first human subject in the trial.

Feb 20 (Reuters) - The first human patient implanted with a brain-chip from Neuralink appears to have fully recovered and is able to control a computer mouse using their thoughts, the startup's founder Elon Musk said late on Monday.

How did Neuralink get FDA approval? Neuralink announced in May 2023 it received FDA approval to begin testing its brain-implant technology in humans.

Elon Musk's Neuralink Corp. successfully implanted a brain chip in its first human patient, marking a significant milestone in the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The patient, whose identity remains undisclosed, has reportedly made a full recovery and can control a computer mouse using their thoughts.

Anyone within the United States or Canada who is at least 18 years old and the age of majority in their state or province/territory, who is able to consent, and who has quadriplegia, paraplegia, vision loss, hearing loss, the inability to speak, and/or major limb amputation (affecting above or below the elbow and/or ...

The chip Neuralink is developing is about the size of a coin. From the chip, an array of tiny wires, each roughly 20 times thinner than a human hair, fan out into the patient's brain. The wires are equipped with 1,024 electrodes, which can monitor brain activity and, theoretically, electrically stimulate the brain.

The Neuralink chip is currently estimated to cost $10,500 in exams, parts and labor.

This would enable those with spinal cord injuries to move their limbs, and could effectively cure paralysis, blindness, mental illness, and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia. The long-term ambition is for the technology to allow humans to compete with artificial intelligence.

Reuters now reports that FDA rejected Neuralink's application for a human experiment over several safety concerns, like the device's lithium battery, implant's tiny wires and questions how the device can be removed without damaging brain tissue.

Neuralink's device is about the size of a large coin and is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going directly into the brain. In its September announcement, Neuralink said the wires would be surgically placed in a region of the brain that controls movement intention.

What is the negative side of Neuralink? ›

Experts have raised concerns around the experimentation of Neuralink's brain chip on animals, as well as potential risks associated with brain surgery, such as brain haemorrhage or seizures. They add that Musk's vision of implants raises privacy and surveillance concerns.

Neuralink is a neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk that's building an implantable, brain-computer interface capable of translating thought into action. Launched in 2016, the private venture claims its neural device will allow people with paraplegia to regain movement and restore vision to those born blind.

Reuters reported in December 2022 that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigators were probing potential animal-welfare violations at Neuralink following internal staff complaints that its animal testing was being rushed, causing needless suffering and deaths.

Neuralink remains a privately held company and cannot be accessed on major public exchanges such as NASDAQ or NYSE. Accredited investors can invest in the top private companies like Neuralink before they IPO via secondary marketplaces such as Hiive.

Musk said last month that the company had completed its first implantation surgery on a human test subject, after having received approval last year to study the safety and functionality of its chip implant and surgical tools on humans. The first product from Neuralink would be called Telepathy, Musk said.

Noland Arbaugh, the 29-year-old patient who was paralyzed below the shoulder after a diving accident, played chess on his laptop and moved the cursor using the Neuralink device. The implant seeks to enable people to control a computer cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts.

Intel's Hala Point neuromorphic computer is powered by more than 1,000 new AI chips and performs 50 times faster than equivalent conventional computing systems. Scientists at Intel have built the world's largest neuromorphic computer, or one designed and structured to mimic the human brain.

Neuralink is not the first to put a fully implantable brain-computer interface in a human patient, but Gaunt said the company has improved how much these devices can record by leaps and bounds. Neuralink also uses innovative robotic surgery, rather than a specialized neurosurgeon, to implant the device.

An electronic brain that mimics the processes of the human brain. In 2015, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the University of California, Santa Barbara, created a bionic brain prototype using memristors. See bionic, Bionic chip and memristor.

Scientists have developed a brain implant that noticeably boosted memory in its first serious test run, perhaps offering a promising new strategy to treat dementia, traumatic brain injuries and other conditions that damage memory.