After roughly one month of having the company’s chip implanted, Elon Musk made the announcement that the first human trial participant in Neuralink’s program is now able to control a computer mouse with their brain. On the other hand, there is a lack of information, and it seems that other businesses that are working on brain-computer interfaces have already overcome a greater number of technological obstacles than Neuralink has.
Musk, the owner of the controversial brain chip business, stated in a chat that took place during an X Spaces event on Monday night that “progress is good, patient seems to have made a full recovery… and is able to control the mouse, move the mouse around the screen just by thinking.”
He explained, “We are attempting to get as many button presses as possible from thinking, so that is what we are currently working on is — can we get left mouse, right mouse, mouse down, mouse up?” According to him, “which is kind of needed if you want to click and drag something, you need to hold on mouse down and mouse down.”
Earlier this month, Musk announced that the business has successfully performed its first implantation surgery on a human test subject. This comes after the company was granted permission in the previous year to investigate the safety and functionality of its chip implant and surgical equipment on human subjects.
A chip will be surgically implanted in the region of the brain that is responsible for regulating the intention to move in patients who are undergoing rial. After the chip has been inserted by a robot, it will then record and transfer brain signals to an application. The primary objective of the project is “to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone,” as stated by the business in September.
An early success in the first human trial of the brain chip technology might mark a key milestone for Neuralink’s efforts to usher potentially life-changing technology out of the laboratory and into the real world. This is especially true for individuals who are unable to move or communicate.
On the other hand, Musk has provided very few specifics and no data regarding the outcome of the operation; hence, it is not yet known how significant of a scientific advancement the implantation represents.
In response to a request for comment, Neuralink did not immediately provide a response.
As a long-term goal, Neuralink’s objective is to employ implants to establish a connection between human brains and computers. This would enable those who are paralyzed to control cellphones or computers, as well as individuals who are blind to regain their sight. The implant developed by the business would, similar to other brain-machine interfaces, gather electrical signals that are transmitted by the brain and then interpret those signals as actions.
Last month, Musk announced that the first product that the business would release would be called Telepathy. He also stated that the initial users of the product would be people who had lost the ability to use their limbs.
What if Stephen Hawking had the ability to speak at a rate that was faster than that of a speed typist or an auctioneer? “That is the objective,” he has written.
There is one thing that is quite clear: consumers will not have widespread access to the technology in the near future. It is necessary for Neuralink’s brain implants to receive regulatory approval before they are made available to the general public.
Other businesses that are engaged in comparable activities are further along in the research process. For instance, a company known as Synchron has been beginning the process of enrolling and implanting individuals in its study since the year 2021.
At the beginning of this year, Sychron announced that its early human testers of its brain implant device were able to use the device to control a personal computing device for “routine digital activities” like as texting, emailing, and online shopping. All of the early human testers had previously suffered from “severe paralysis.”
In 2022, Neuralink came under attention after a monkey passed away while the company was attempting to teach the animal to play Pong, which was one of the earliest electronic games. According to statements made by employees to Reuters in December 2022, the company was hurrying to get its products to market, which led to the deaths of animals due to carelessness and a federal probe.
Neuralink, on the other hand, was granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct clinical trials on humans in May of the previous year. A few months later, the fledgling company started enrolling patients who had quadriplegia as a result of either amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or cervical spinal cord injury.
The trial is a component of what Neuralink refers to as its “PRIME Study,” which is an abbreviation for “Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface.” The purpose of the study is to investigate the safety of the surgical robot and implant that the company has developed, as well as to evaluate the functionality of the device. The company stated in a blog post that was published in September about recruiting trial participants.