On Monday, Elon Musk announced that the first patient to receive the Neuralink brain chip had recovered well.
The goal of the Neuralink chip is to develop a brain-computer interface, which will enable users to operate their devices simply by thinking. Its performance-based character has led to its current term, “telepathy.”
Neural impulses that could be sent to a phone or computer are processed and transmitted by the neural link chip.
With the chip, a person can use their thoughts to operate a keyboard, mouse, or messaging app.
The research is intended to help treat human development in a number of ways, including helping those with autism, curing paralysis, and restoring vision.
“Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs. Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal,” stated Elon Musk.
Despite being under federal scrutiny for claims of animal cruelty, Neuralink had wanted to test the chip on 10 patients for the first human clinical study. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the trial on people in May 2023 after consultation and safety assessments.
As a result, the company had to negotiate the patient numbers before moving forward with the trial.
Following approval, Neuralink formally launched the PRIME research on September 19, 2023, when it began recruiting patients.
“PRIME study-Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface is a groundbreaking medical device trial for our fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface(BCI) -aims to evaluate the safety of our implant (N1) and surgical robot(R1) and assess the initial functionality of our BCI for enabling people with paralysis control external devices with their thoughts,” Neuralink posted.
Eligible patients for the trial recruitment were those with quadriplegia resulting from cervical spinal cord injury (a paralysis affecting the limbs and body) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, a neurological condition affecting motor neurons, nerve cells, and spinal cord movement).
