Human Clinical Trial: Musk’s Startup Gets Approval to Test Brain Computer Chips

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The Neuralink company, founded by Twitter owner Elon Musk, has received approval from US authorities to test computer chips in the human brain. “We are pleased to announce that we have received FDA approval to begin our first human clinical trial,” Neuralink said on Twitter on Thursday. FDA approval is “an important first step”.

Musk said at the launch of his venture in December that implants made by Neuralink will enable brains to communicate directly with computers. “Of course we want to be extremely careful and make sure it’s working well before we insert a device into a human,” Musk said at the time.

So far only tested on animals

The billionaire is known for announcing ambitious goals for his companies, some of which were never realized. It also fell behind schedule with Neuralink: Musk announced in July 2019 that he could conduct the first tests on humans the following year.

However, until now roughly coin-sized prototypes have only been placed in animals. The Neuralink presentation showed monkeys using the brain chip to “play” simple video games or move a cursor on the screen.

Musk wants to treat neurological diseases

Musk wants to use interfaces to cure neurological diseases. The startup is currently developing other implants to be placed in the spinal cord or eyes to restore mobility or vision. But his primary goal, according to Musk, is to ensure that people are not intellectually overwhelmed by systems with artificial intelligence.

Neuralink isn’t the only company working on brain-computer interfaces. In July, competitor Synchron announced that it had become the first company to implant a corresponding chip in a US patient’s brain. (AFP)

Source :Blick