American company Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, successfully implanted a chip in the brain of its first human patient last month.
Elon Musk enjoys the success of Neuralink, archive PHOTO
The surgery, which involved the Neuralink surgical robot, marked a major milestone for the company and its efforts to connect brains directly to computers, after it was given permission in September 2023 to recruit patients to test the device's ability to helping people with paralysis to recover their lost functions by controlling computers with the help of thought.
The first patient seems to have fully recovered and is able to control a computer mouse with the help of his thoughts, the founder of this American start-up, Elon Musk, said on Monday evening, informs Agerpres.
“Progress is good, and the patient seems to have fully recovered, with no negative effects that we are aware of. The patient is able to move a mouse across the screen with just thoughts,” said Elon Musk at an event organized by Spaces on the X social network. According to Elon Musk, the Neuralink company is now trying to get as many clicks as possible from the patient.
The study uses a robot to perform surgical placement “a brain-computer interface implant in a region of the brain that controls movement intention”, Neuralink said, adding that the initial goal is to allow people to control a computer cursor or keyboard with their thoughts.
Elon Musk says he has big ambitions for Neuralink, saying the company would facilitate rapid surgical insertions of his chip devices to treat conditions such as obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia. “In the future, we hope to restore capabilities such as vision, motor function and speech, and ultimately expand the way we experience the world,” Neuralink officials state on the official website.
Neuralink, valued last year at about $5 billion, has repeatedly faced calls for review and scrutiny of its security protocols. Reuters reported last month that the US firm had been fined for violating US Department of Transportation rules on the movement of hazardous materials.
