Elon Musk’s Neuralink Corp. has announced it’s started testing a robotic arm that could be controlled using the mind.
The early-stage study outlines a robotic arm that would be controlled using a Neuralink device implanted in the brain, allowing paralyzed people to control it without movement. Where current prosthetics rely on existing movement from the remaining limb, a Neuralink robotic arm would be more widely applicable.
“We’re excited to announce the approval and launch of a new feasibility trial to extend BCI control using the N1 Implant to an investigational assistive robotic arm,” wrote Neuralink in an announcement post on X.
“This is an important first step towards restoring not only digital freedom, but also physical freedom.”
We’re excited to announce the approval and launch of a new feasibility trial to extend BCI control using the N1 Implant to an investigational assistive robotic arm.
This is an important first step towards restoring not only digital freedom, but also physical freedom. More info…
— Neuralink (@neuralink) November 25, 2024
The arm functions via a small, virtually invisible implant in the part of the brain that controls movement. It can interpret a person’s neural activity, so that people with little or no movement in their limbs can operate the arm by simply intending to move within their brain, without any wires or physical movement required.
What does Neuralink’s technology do?
The technology is still in its infancy, with a first-in-human trial currently in progress. That means that any approved device is years away from being widely available.
Neuralink is cross-enrolling participants from the ongoing PRIME Study (the company’s ongoing research) but those with limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can still apply to be part of the early-stage study, which you can find more about here.
The robotic arm is building on Neuralink’s existing work in disability aids, with the company making history by implanting a chip in patients’ brains that allows them to control computers with their minds. The second patient had their chip implanted in August 2024.
Featured image: Midjourney
