Startup firm Neuralink has successfully implanted a computer chip into a human brain for the first time, according to the company’s founder, Elon Musk. Posting on “X,” another of his properties, the tech billionaire said the patient received the implant on Sunday, Jan. 28, and is “recovering well.”
Musk said initial results showed “promising neuron spike detection” but gave no further details on the procedure or the patient. In May of 2023, Neuralink announced it received approval from the FDA to conduct its first-in-human clinical study.
In a follow-up post, Musk said the first Neuralink product called “Telepathy” will enable the patient to use a phone or computer to control any device just by thinking. Musk said 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,” Musk wrote on “X.” “That is the goal.”
According to the Neuralink website, its first clinical trial for the PRIME study is open for recruitment.
“This study involves placing a small, cosmetically invisible implant in a part of the brain that plans movements,” Neuralink’s website reads. “The device is designed to interpret a person’s neural activity, so they can operate a computer or smartphone by simply intending to move – no wires or physical movement are required.”
