Elon Musk, the tech mogul, announced a significant milestone for his company, Neuralink, claiming the successful implantation of a wireless brain chip in a human. Musk reported "promising" brain activity and stated that the patient is recovering well after the procedure. This achievement marks a crucial step toward Neuralink's goal of connecting human brains to computers to address complex neurological conditions.
Professor Anne Vanhoestenberghe of King's College London noted the significance of this development, emphasizing that Neuralink has joined a relatively small group of companies that have implanted their devices in humans within the brain-computer interface community. However, she urged caution, emphasizing the need for long-term evaluation to determine true success.
While there is no independent verification of Musk's claims, and Neuralink has not provided details about the procedure, the announcement has sparked interest and raised questions within the scientific community. BBC News has reached out to Neuralink and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for comments.
Neuralink faced criticism in the past, with reports of testing resulting in the deaths of around 1,500 animals. The company received FDA approval in May 2023 to conduct human tests, initiating a six-year study involving the use of a robot to surgically place 64 flexible threads on a brain region controlling "movement intention." These threads facilitate the recording and wireless transmission of brain signals to an app that decodes the user's movement intentions.
Elon Musk also revealed Neuralink's first product, Telepathy, which aims to enable control of devices such as phones and computers through thought. The initial focus will be on users who have lost limb functionality, with aspirations to enhance communication for individuals with conditions like motor neurone disease, as exemplified by the late Stephen Hawking.
While Musk's involvement has brought attention to Neuralink, other companies with extensive experience in brain-computer interfaces, such as Blackrock Neurotech and Precision Neuroscience, have been working in this field for decades. The broader neurotechnology landscape includes various approaches, from invasive neurosurgery to non-intrusive surface implants, all contributing to the advancement of neuroscience and potential medical applications.
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