Elon Musk's neurotechnology company Neuralink has installed its first brain-computer interface in the head of a human patient, who is allegedly "recovering well" after receiving the surgery.
Neuralink was founded in 2016 by Musk and a handful of scientists and engineers with a goal to develop a brain-computer interface that would allow humans to interact with technology using neural signals. If realised, the interface would profoundly alter the lives of individuals living with paralysis, allowing them to communicate more efficiently with the outside world by granting them an unprecedented level of control over external devices.
In September 2023 Neuralink announced it had been granted permission by an independent review board to seek human trial participants for its Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface (PRIME) clinical trials. PRIME would see a Neuralink robot perform an invasive surgery, during which a section of the patient’s skull would be removed in order to allow for the placement of 1,024 electrodes, on a region of the brain that deals with movement.
The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024
Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.
This N1 device would then record and transmit the data to an app that interprets the patient’s brain activity into movement intention. Musk revealed on X/Twitter on January 30 that Neuralink's first human patient had been surgically installed with a neural implant, though neither the company nor Musk have provided details on the operation.
“The first human received an implant from Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well,” posted Musk. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.” MweHe t on to reveal that Neuralink's first product would be called Telepathy, which would allow a user to control “almost any device, just by thinking”.
The significance of the ‘neuron spike detection’ mentioned by Musk has not yet been commented on by Neuralink. However, it can be taken as an indication that the implant is successfully detecting neural signals from the patient’s brain.
Enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 30, 2024
Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs.
Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.
“Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer,” wrote Musk in a separate post. “That is the goal”. Beyond communication, Musk and Neuralink also have ambitions to use the implant tech to try and restore sight and help patients with spinal injuries regain the ability to walk.
Prior to embarking on human trials, Neuralink had surgically installed implants in the skulls of pigs and monkeys. In April 2021 Neuralink made headlines when researchers revealed that they had successfully taught a monkey to play a version of the classic arcade video game Pong using a brain implant. Neuralink later came under increased scrutiny from concerned groups who challenged the company’s treatment of its non-human test subjects.
In a subsequent statement, Neuralink stressed that all new medical devices were tested on animals prior to human use, and that while monkeys had been euthanized, their experiments met federally mandated standards and were approved by a committee at UC Davis, where the trials had taken place.
The shift to human trials represents a significant step forward. Following the initial announcement, Musk said the next set of trial participants would be drawn from volunteers who had lost the use of their limbs. As noted by the BBC, Neuralink are not the only company attempting to use brain implants to help people with paralysis communicate. However, the robotic nature of the surgery employed by Neuralink, if reliably proven successful, could lend the company an advantage over competing interests.
Image Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
