California: After many experiments, Elon Musk’s Neuralink company’s chip has been implanted in the human brain for the first time. Elon Musk announced that the brain-chip was implanted in the patient and he is recovering. Musk also noted that the first results are promising.
Neuralink is a neurotechnology company founded by billionaire Musk in 2016 with the aim of establishing direct communication channels between the human brain and computers. The company received approval to test the brain chip on humans last September. The company had invited patients who were willing to be part of the experiment and get the chip implanted in their brains in collaboration with the project. The registration form for this was made available on the company website. Researchers have not yet disclosed how many patients they will enroll for the brain chip.
The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.
Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024
A US-based animal rights group has come out against Neuralink over its experiments on brain-chip monkeys. The organization said the researchers were subjecting the monkeys to extreme torture as part of testing the chips. Animal lovers have alleged that they are suffering from facial trauma due to steel posts being inserted into their skulls. Elon Musk released a video of a monkey with a brain chip made by Neuralink doing telepathic typing using a virtual keyboard.
A clinical trial for a brain implant may also include patients with paralysis due to neck injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The chip may also benefit Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients in the future.