Tech billionaire Elon Musk has announced that his company, Neuralink, has successfully implanted its first wireless brain chip in a human.Musk stated that initial results showed promising spikes in neurons or nerve impulses, and the patient is recovering well.
Neuralink’s objective is to connect the human brain to computers, with a focus on addressing complex neurological conditions. The company received permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May to test the chip on humans, marking a crucial milestone after previous struggles to obtain approval.
The process involves using a robot to surgically place 64 flexible threads, thinner than human hair, onto a part of the brain that controls “movement intention,” according to Neuralink. The company claims that these threads enable their experimental implant, powered by a wirelessly chargeable battery, to record and transmit brain signals wirelessly to an app that decodes the person’s intended movements.
Musk, via his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), revealed that Neuralink’s first product will be called “Telepathy.” He mentioned that Telepathy will allow the “control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.” Musk added that initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs.
While Musk’s involvement boosts the profile of Neuralink, the company faces competition from rivals with a track record spanning over two decades. Utah-based Blackrock Neurotech implanted its first brain-computer interface in 2004.
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Precision Neuroscience, founded by a Neuralink co-founder, also aims to assist people with paralysis. Its implant resembles a very thin piece of tape placed on the brain’s surface and can be implanted via a “cranial micro-slit,” claimed to be a simpler procedure.
Existing devices have also shown positive results. In two recent separate scientific studies in the U.S., implants were used to monitor brain activity when a person attempted to speak, which could then be decoded to aid communication.
BBC News has reached out to Neuralink and the FDA for further comments on this announcement.
