Elon Musk has claimed that his brain-chip startup Neuralink has successfully conducted its first implant in a human patient.
Last year the US Food and Drug Administration gave Musk’s Neuralink the green light to conduct its first trial on humans.
The trials saw a microchip implanted in a human brain, with the aim of helping patients overcome neurological challenges such as paralysis.
As posted by the billionaire founder on X, the brain chip’s “initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”
The National Institute of Health describes spikes as activity by neurons that use electrical and chemical signals to send information around the brain and to the body.
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Neuralink has explained that the implant is done by a robot surgeon, which places the chip in a region of the brain that controls the intention to move.
As well as helping with neurological conditions, its other goal is to enable people to control a computer cursor or keyboard using just their thoughts.
The firm’s first product will be called Telepathy, Musk said in a separate post on X.
The purpose of the trial is to test the wireless brain-computer interface to evaluate the safety of the implant and surgical robot.
Though one of the most well known neural processer firms, Neuralink is not the first to successfully implant a microchip on a human brain.
The École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne (EPFL), in Switzerland, successfully enabled a paralysed man to walk just by thinking. That was achieved by putting electronic implants on his brain and spine which wirelessly communicate thoughts to his legs and feet, according to a May 2023 post in peer-reviewed journal, Nature.
Neuralink has also faced controversy. Reuters reported earlier in January that Musk’s startup was fined for violating rules by the US Department of Transportation (DoT) regarding the movement of hazardous materials.
According to Reuter’s reports, inspections of the firm’s facilities in Texas and California last year found the company had not registered itself as a transporter of hazardous materials.
The reports said that it also found improper packaging of hazardous waste, such as flammable liquid Xylene – Xylene can cause headaches, dizziness, confusion, loss of muscle coordination, and even death, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
