Elon Musk’s Neuralink implants brain chip in human

On Sunday, billionaire Elon Musk, the founder of Neuralink, said that the company’s first human patient had successfully received an implant. Musk added that the patient’s recovery is doing well, and the initial results reveal the detection of neuron spikes. The National Institute of Health defines neuron spikes as the activity of neurons, which are cells that transport information throughout the brain and body by electrical and chemical impulses.

Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration granted clearance to Neuralink for its first trial to test an implant designed to help patients overcome paralysis and neurological conditions. This clearance was a crucial milestone for the startup’s ambitions. In September, Neuralink announced that it had received approval to recruit participants for the human trial. The study involves using a robot to place a brain-computer interface implant in a specific brain region responsible for the intention to move. Neuralink’s initial goal is to enable individuals to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone.

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-machine interface business, has announced the launch of the PRIME Study, a wireless brain-computer interface experiment. The study intends to evaluate the safety of Neuralink’s implant and surgical robot. Musk said in a second post on X that the company’s initial product will be called Telepathy. The implant transmits messages to the brain via ultra-fine threads. Neuralink has received criticism for its safety measures, including a recent fine for breaking hazardous material rules. Furthermore, MPs have called for an investigation into the company’s assertions about the safety of its technology, citing veterinary records of issues encountered by monkeys during testing. On September 10, Musk stated in a post on social media that the implantation of Neuralink has not caused any monkey deaths.