Seven years after launch, the company Neuralink Elon Musk he finally received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implant a computer in the human brain.
“We are pleased to announce that we have received FDA approval to launch our first human clinical trial,” Neuralink wrote on Thursday. “This is the result of the incredible work of the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people.”
Neuralink is working on technology that links the human brain to a computer interface for a system that can help people with neurological conditions communicate with and control a variety of devices. For example, a paralyzed person could use their phone simply by imagining the movements of their hands. But according to Musk, the long-term goal of the project is to equip people with “superhuman knowledge.”
The approval timeline coincides with Musk’s announcement in November 2022 that Neuralink had submitted an application to the FDA for approval, saying at the time that he expected the regulator to take about six months to make a decision.
The big question now is exactly how Neuralink will select trial participants from those who apply.
On Thursday, the company said the clinical trial recruitment was “not open yet” but promised to “announce more information about it soon.”
Musk said last year that he plans to implant the device in his own brain, but few expect him to be one of the first participants in the trials.
Reuters reported that the FDA had previously raised a number of issues that Neuralink must resolve before considering human trials. They focused on the device’s lithium battery, the risk of implant wires migrating into the brain, and how to ensure that the device can be removed safely without damaging brain tissue.
In an earlier demonstration of his brain implant, Neuralink showed a monkey playing pong just by thinking about it, as well as moving the mouse over its thoughts. The company has been criticized for using animals for testing, but Musk has always maintained that animals are treated humanely.
Other researchers are developing technology similar to Neuralink. For example, a device called BrainGate allowed a paralyzed person to communicate their thoughts by converting imaginary text into text.
Source: Digital Trends
I am Garth Carter and I work at Gadget Onus. I have specialized in writing for the Hot News section, focusing on topics that are trending and highly relevant to readers. My passion is to present news stories accurately, in an engaging manner that captures the attention of my audience.
