The first human to be implanted with a brain chip from Neuralink can control a computer mouse “by just thinking”.
That is the claim from the startup’s founder, billionaire entrepreneur, Elon Musk in a Spaces event on his X social media platform. Neuralink, the American neurotechnology company describes its mission statement as “creating a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.”
“Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with no ill effects that we are aware of,” said Musk.
“Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking,” he continued, adding they are now attempting to get as many mouse clicks as possible from the patient. At the time of writing, there has been no further official comment from Neuralink.
Ambition and beyond
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had given Neuralink the green light last year to perform its first trial to test the implant on humans, representing a landmark juncture in their ambitions to help patients with neurological conditions.
Then last month, the company successfully placed the implant into a human brain after receiving the go-ahead for the pioneering project, following approval. Musk has grand ambitions to develop Neuralink’s operations to the point its chip devices will be able to effectively treat conditions such as obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.
The test study uses a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface implant, the chip, in the area of the brain responsible for controlling movement. In line with the patient controlling a computer mouse, the company is initially working on this ability to perform cursor or keyboard functions with thought.
The delicate nature of the work has led to calls for further scrutiny of the safety protocols in place at Neuralink, with the firm receiving a fine for contravening U.S. Department of Transportation rules on the movement of hazardous materials.
