The first person with a Neuralink chip implanted in their brain can control a computer mouse with their thoughts, said the founder of the startup Elon Musk, quoted by Reuters.
KEY FACTS
- The company successfully implanted a chip in a human for the first time last month after receiving approval for human testing in September.
- To do this, a robot surgically placed a chip in a specific part of the brain that controls movement intent, Neuralink said, adding that the initial goal was to allow people to control a mouse or keyboard cursor with their thoughts.
- Musk said that Neuralink is now trying to get as many mouse clicks as possible from the patient.
IMPORTANT QUOTE
«Progress is good, and the patient has apparently made a full recovery, with no ill effects that we know of.» The patient can move a mouse on the screen with just their thought,” Musk said during the Spaces event on the X social network.
UNDER A MAGNIFYING GLASS
The company is facing calls for a review of its safety protocols. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the company had been fined for violating US Department of Transportation rules on the movement of hazardous materials.
The company was valued at about $5 billion last June, but in late November four congressmen asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Musk had misled investors about the safety of its technology after vet records showed problems with implants in monkeys, including cases of paralysis, seizures, and cerebral edema.
CONTRA
On September 10, Musk wrote in a post on a social network that «not a single monkey has died as a result of having a Neuralink implant.» He added that the company chose monkeys with severe illnesses that are at the end of their lives to minimize the risk to healthy ones.
Although Musk often touts the restoration of the abilities of people who have lost the use of their motor skills, he has also talked about the need for humans to keep pace with artificial intelligence as his motivation for working on Neuralink.
Musk has big ambitions for Neuralink, saying it will facilitate rapid surgical implantation of chips to help treat obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia.
