Elon Musk claims the first human patient implanted with Neuralink’s creepy brain chip was able to move a computer mouse cursor using just his thoughts.
business insider report Last month, Neuralink implanted its first computer chip into the brain of a human patient. The company’s founder, Elon Musk, said the patient has now fully recovered and can now move a computer mouse cursor just by thinking.
Musk made the claim during Monday’s X/Twitter Spaces session, saying, “The patient is doing well, the patient appears to have made a full recovery, and we are aware of the neurological effects.” The patient can move the mouse on the screen just by thinking. ”
Neuralink’s creepy brain chip now has a telepathic name and is intended to allow recipients to control devices like phones and computers with their minds. The company is still working to improve the technology, but this first human trial marks a major milestone.
Musk said Neuralink is focused on allowing patients to more precisely move a cursor or click and hold a button just by thinking. “We’re trying to push as many buttons as possible with our thinking, so that’s what we’re working on right now,” he commented.
The implant was approved for human trials by the FDA in May 2022 after initial rejection due to concerns about overheating. Neuralink hopes this technology will eventually help paralyzed patients regain motor functions such as movement and speech by transmitting brain signals.
“In the future, we hope to restore abilities such as vision, motor function, and language, and ultimately expand the ways we experience the world,” the company says in its mission. However, vision applications require further regulatory approval.
Breitbart News previously reported on claims that Neuralink was facing serious problems with animal test subjects. Some groups even claimed that the experiment bordered on abuse.
A detailed investigation has revealed disturbing circumstances surrounding the death of a monkey used in Neuralink’s preliminary experiments. Elon Musk flatly denied that the deaths were a direct result of the implant, claiming that the subjects selected were “already close to death.”
However, these claims are contradicted by accounts that reveal severe complications experienced by the subjects, including chronic infections, paralysis, and swelling of the brain, requiring euthanasia.
wired provided some details Regarding the conditions in which some of the experimental animals were placed, he wrote:
For example, in an experimental surgery performed in December 2019 to determine the “viability” of an implant, internal parts of the device “damaged” during implantation. Throughout the night, researchers watched as the monkey, identified only as “Animal 20” by the University of California, Davis, scratched at the surgical site, produced bloody secretions, pulled on the connector and eventually broke the device. I observed how the part came off. Surgery was performed the next day to repair the problem, but the fungal and bacterial infections persisted. Veterinarian records indicate that neither infection was likely to be removed because the implant covered the infected area. The monkey was euthanized on January 6, 2020.
Explaining the treatment of other animals: wired report:
Additional veterinary reports show the condition of the female monkey, known as “Animal 15,” in the months leading up to her death in March 2019. A few days after her implant surgery, she started pressing her head against her floor for no apparent reason. Records say she was in pain and suffering from an infection. Her staff was picking and pulling on her implant until it bled, even as she felt discomfort, and spent time lying at the foot of her cage and holding hands with her roommate. I observed that.
Animal 15 began to lose coordination and was observed by staff to tremble uncontrollably when looking at researchers. Her condition worsened for several months, and staff eventually euthanized her. Her autopsy report said there was hemorrhage in her brain and her Neuralink implant caused parts of her cerebral cortex to become “locally tattered.”
“Patients should have serious concerns about the safety of Neuralink’s device,” warned Ryan Merkley, head of research and advocacy at the Animal Welfare-focused Medical Ethics Committee. The committee, which has more than 17,000 physician members, is urging prospective Neuralink volunteers to seriously reconsider their applications.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, covering free speech and online censorship issues.
