- The founder of Neuralink, Elon Musk, claims that the first person to have one of the company’s chips implanted in their brain has apparently “made a full recovery”.
- Musk also said that the patient can now “move the mouse around the screen just by thinking”
- Neuralink was approved to begin human trials in 2023
Elon Musk says the first participant in Neuralink’s human trial, who had a chip implanted in his brain in January, can already achieve some astonishing feats, including moving a computer mouse with just his thoughts.
During a Spaces event on Xu (formerly known as Twitter), the 52-year-old Neuralink founder said the subject “appears to have fully recovered” with no “bad effects that we’re aware of,” according to Reuters and CNN.
Musk also said the patient can now “move the mouse around the screen just by thinking,” according to Reuters and Business Insider.
“We’re trying to get as many button presses as possible from thinking, so that’s what we’re working on right now,” the billionaire told CNN on Monday. “Can we have left mouse, right mouse, mouse down, mouse up?”
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In 2023, Neuralink received permission to conduct human trials. The implantation procedure is performed by a robot.
The chip inserted into the subject’s brain is about the size of a quarter and has dozens of tiny mesh electrodes. The new technology is placed in the part of the brain that controls movement, according to Reuters and CNN.
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The billionaire previously said he hoped the technology could provide treatment for a number of conditions, including depression and schizophrenia, Reuters reports.
Musk made the announcement on January 29 Neuralink’s first product it would be called “telepathy”. The product, he said, will be given to users ability to control devices such as telephones and computers “just by thinking”.
“The initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs,” he said. “Imagine Stephen Hawking being able to communicate faster than a fast typist or an auctioneer. That’s the goal.”
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In December 2022, Musk suggested that he would eventually also have a Neuralink chip implanted in his brain, according to CNBC.
Neuralink has faced accusations of violating the Animal Welfare Act since its inception in 2016, but a 2022 Department of Agriculture report found no violations other than a self-reported 2019 incident.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education