Neuralink has been conducting animal research for some time. In the videos published by the company in 2021, we could see, for example, a monkey playing Pong with its thoughts. Now Elon Musk’s company will test the functionality of the technology on human patients.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink implanted the first implant in a human
On Sunday, Neuralink performed the first implantation operation into the human brain. Elon Musk announced on the X website that the procedure was successful and the patient who received the chip “is recovering quickly.” He also added that the research results “indicate promising detection of neural impulses” and announced that the first chip intended for humans was named Telepathy. However, he did not reveal the patient’s identity.
recalls that last year the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the company permission to conduct the first tests of implants on humans, and it was on this basis that the chip implantation surgery was carried out on Monday. The research conducted under the name Prime (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) is aimed at practical testing of the operation of the surgical robot with which Neuralink implants the implant and the functioning of the chip itself in the human brain.
Elon Musk also wrote on the X website that the Telepathy implant allows you to control your phone or computer with your thoughts, and through them almost any device. He added that initially only people who have lost the use of their limbs will receive implants. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a fast typist or auctioneer. That’s the goal,” Musk wrote.
Neuralink is intended to help the sick and paralyzed
The billionaire has been talking about implanting the first people in the world for many months. It was then announced that after the procedure, the implants would record and send brain signals to an application that would then enable the mouse or keyboard cursor to be controlled solely by thought. The study period for each patient will last six years.
Neuralink’s goals are noble. In the initial phase of research, the implant is intended to allow people living with quadriplegia to communicate with the world easier and faster and independently use the benefits of technology. In the next stage, Neuralink is to start implanting chips in other people suffering from diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Elon Musk’s startup has struggled and is struggling with criticism, in the past primarily from animal defenders. during the research or were euthanized after its completion. Neuralink’s value is currently estimated at $5 billion.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
