Elon Musk and seven scientists and engineers launched Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup that has implanted a brain implant in its first human recipient with “promising initial results,” the billionaire said on Tuesday.
“@Neuralink implanted its first human yesterday, and the person is healing nicely. Neuron spike detection appears to be a good initial finding, Musk said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Neuralink’s initial product, according to Musk, will be referred to as “Telepathy.” He clarified that it would allow you to think to control your computer, phone, and nearly any other gadget. He said that those who are limb-loss disabled will be the first users.
What is Neuralink and How it works?
The start-up, which was established in 2016, began accepting applications for its first human brain implant study last year after being given the go-ahead by the US Food and Drug Administration. The study included participants with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and those with quadriplegia brought on by a cervical spinal cord injury.
The goal of the brain-chip firm is to address a wide range of neurological disorders, including obesity, depression, schizophrenia, and autism, by linking the human brain to computers. Musk wrote, “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer,” citing the late, renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking as an example. Hawking had motor neurone illness. The objective is that.
The company announced last year that the project was called “PRIME”—Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface—in a statement on its website. According to the press release, the activity is a “groundbreaking investigational medical device trial for our fully implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI).”
The goal of the neurotechnology firm is to establish direct lines of communication between computers and the brain. It examines the safety of the R1 surgical robot and N1 implant from Neuralink as well as the first functioning of the BCI, which enables paralyzed individuals to control external equipment with their thoughts.
Notably, the “Link” implant, a device inserted into the human brain via invasive surgery, is the primary means by which Neuralink’s technology functions.
What is Neuralink testing?
Neuralink has faced criticism in the past due to its involvement in experiments that killed some 1,500 animals, including pigs, lambs, and monkeys. The US Department of Agriculture’s chief investigator of animal welfare issues declared in July 2023 that the agency had not discovered any breaches of the company’s regulations about animal experimentation.
However, the agency is still conducting a different probe. In May 2023, the FDA approved Mr. Musk’s business to start human testing on the chip.
This cleared the way for the beginning of the six-year project, which according to Neuralink involves using a robot to surgically implant 64 flexible threads—thinner than human hair—onto a region of the brain that regulates “movement intention.”
Based on an app that decodes a person’s intended movement, the business claims that these threads enable their experimental implant, which is powered by a wirelessly rechargeable battery, to record and send brain impulses wirelessly.
“It is a great example of how basic neuroscience research is being harnessed for medical advances and has great potential to help people with neurological disorders in the future,” said Professor Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association.
Experts claim that Neuralink does, however, now face competition from a number of firms, notably Blackrock Neurotech of Utah, which actually implanted several of the company’s initial brain connections in 2004—two decades ago.
Implants were utilised to track a person’s brain activity while they attempted to talk in recent US scientific investigations. In the future, this might be decoded to improve understanding of communication.
