Neuralinkbiotechnology company founded by Elon Muskperformed its first human implant. After receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company managed to insert a chip into a person.
“The first person received the @Neuralink implant yesterday and is recovering well. The first results show promising detection of neuronal spikes– said Elon Musk in your X (Twitter) account. The tycoon did not provide specific details, and the official Neuralink account has not been updated since November 21, 2023.
The news comes after months of controversy, fraud allegations and a U.S. Department of Transportation fine. Neuralink found itself in the midst of a hurricane since December 2022, when an investigation into the deaths of more than 1,500 animals was announced. The situation worsened in September 2023, after a group of doctors blamed the company for the death of twelve monkeys.
The news caused a stir because it came days after the FDA cleared the implants for use in humans. Monkey suffered infections and inflammation of the brain after receiving the chip Neuralink, so they were put to sleep. Because of this, four congressmen accused Elon Musk of fraud before the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Despite the controversy, the report Bloomberg guarantees that Thousands of people have applied for a Neuralink chip. The neurotechnology company began enrolling volunteers in September and plans to conduct 11 human surgeries in 2024. exceed 22,204 operations in 2030.
Telepathy, Neuralink’s first product
Following this news, Elon Musk confirmed in a post on his X (Twitter) profile that Neuralink’s first product is called Telepathyand that the first users to receive it will be “those who have lost the use of their limbs,” he emphasized.
Telepathy is a slightly less ambitious product than expected from Neuralink, which is understandable given that it is a first device. Well, unlike Elon Musk’s company’s goal, which is to allow people to regain movement in their body or parts of their body, The first chip will be able to allow people to control devices only external, connected to the mind, such as a cell phone or computer.
It’s true, an important step forward in terms of accessibility, as it offers a means of communication for people with disabilities. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a typist or an auctioneer. That’s the goal,” Musk explained.
Telepathy appears to be the same chip that Neutralink implanted in Pager, a 9-year-old ape who could control a cursor using only her mind. The company posted a video of a primate playing with a physical joystick and drinking a banana smoothie as a reward. In turn, the chip already implanted in Pager’s brain recorded which neurons were activated to learn movement patterns. At one point in the video, the joystick disappears and the monkey can be seen playing Pong with his mind.
Who will receive Neuralink brain implants?
The first phase of human trials for Neuralink chips is looking at quadriplegia, paraplegia, people with vision or hearing loss or inability to speak, and those who have undergone major amputation.
Elon Musk’s goal is to create a solution that allows a person with paralysis to regain movement of the entire body. To do this, an operation will be performed during which part of the patient’s skull will be removed and then an implant will be inserted. Neuralink chips can read and analyze people’s neural activity and transmit data to your computer or mobile device.
brain implants They work thanks to a battery that charges wirelessly. Later Neuralink will offer the ability to charge it overnight, just like we do with our mobile device. The difference is that the implant will be connected to the weight platform present in our pad.
Before the announcement of the first successful human transplant, the US Department of Transportation fined Neuralink for hazardous materials violations. After checking facilities in Texas and California, inspectors discovered that the company did not have permission to transport this type of material.
In accordance with ReutersOfficers also discovered that Neuralink did not secure its packaging, resulting in leaks of hazardous materials that could result in human death. The company was fined $2,480 and agreed to pay damages.
Source: Hiper Textual
