OAN’s Avril Elfie
5:57 PM – Monday, January 29, 2024
Neuralink announced that it has implanted its first brain microchip into a human patient.
advertisement
The first human implant by Elon Musk’s neurotech startup Neuralink took place on Sunday, with a post on Twitter saying the patient is now “recovering well.”
Musk also said that early results show “promise for detecting neuronal spikes.”
The company announced last month that it was recruiting quadriplegics under the age of 40 to participate in human trials. Musk also explained that surgeons will remove part of the patient’s skull, and then 64 wires lined with electrodes will be implanted into the patient’s brain by a 7-foot-tall robot called R1.
Musk said the company planned to develop a “comprehensive brain computer to help humans catch up with artificial intelligence (AI).”
In May 2023, Neuralink received first-in-human clinical trial approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is an important step forward after previous delays and setbacks. At the time, Neuralink described the FDA approval as “an important first step that will allow our technology to one day help many people.”
Neuralink announced in a September 2023 statement that it is recruiting patients with quadriplegia “as a result of vertical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).”
The research brochure says it will take approximately six years to complete.
Participants will undergo nine home and in-person visits over the first 18 months, followed by 20 follow-up visits over five years, and two “study sessions” per week for the remainder of the study. .
Volunteers will undergo surgery using a unique robot to implant a brain-computer interface (BCI) in the area of the brain responsible for controlling movement. The goal is for participants to be able to control a computer cursor and keyboard using just their “thoughts and brainpower.”
The number of human participants in the technical trials evaluating the functionality and safety of the chip in addition to the robotic surgeons has not been reported and is currently unknown.
Stay informed. Receive breaking news directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Please share this post!
