Neuralink, the technology startup co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk in 2016, is preparing to launch a series of clinical trials aimed at implanting electronic chips in human brains for health purposes. The company has promised that its "electronic chips" will enable individuals with paralysis to use smartphones with their minds faster than anyone using their fingers.
Despite Musk hastily predicting in 2019 that he expected to implant the device in a human skull by 2020, it appears this time the launch is closer to reality. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Neuralink is currently working to hire a "clinical trial manager" to conduct trials of its device on humans.
Neuralink has already successfully implanted precise artificial intelligence chips into the brains of monkeys and pigs, later releasing a video of a monkey playing the video game Pong using only its mind.
Musk has stated that the chip will be implanted in the skull and charged wirelessly, so individuals will feel completely normal. Last month, the world's richest person expressed optimism that the technology could allow individuals with quadriplegia to walk. “We hope to succeed with this in humans for the first time,” he mentioned at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council summit.
He continued, “They will be individuals with severe spinal cord injuries such as quadriplegia, and we expect to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next year.” He added, “I believe we have a chance with Neuralink to fully restore the body’s functions for someone with a spinal cord injury. Neuralink technology works well with monkeys, and we are actually conducting many tests to ensure it is very safe and reliable, and that the Neuralink device can be safely removed.”
