Elon Musk’s brain-implant startup Neuralink has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) to begin the company’s first human clinical study.
- Neuralink is working on a device that will allow people to control computer interfaces with their brains.
- Neuralink said the devices could potentially treat a range of conditions, including obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.
- The company also believes that the technology has the potential to enable web browsing and even telepathic communication.
- Neuralink plans to open clinics where surgical robots will implant the devices into the brains of patients.
- The robot surgeon threads Neuralink’s proprietary electrodes, or brain-signal recording wires, into the brain.
- Neuralink has tested its implant technology on primates for several years. The company released a video in April 2021 showing a monkey implanted with two Neuralink devices could play a videogame called Pong using only his brain.
- Neuralink’s recent FDA approval for their first human clinical trial signifies a significant step forward in their mission to enable direct communication between brains and computers.
