Elon Musk’s Neuralink to test brain chip on people with paralysis
Elon Musk’s startup Neuralink has received approval from an independent supervisory committee to start recruiting participants for the first trial of a brain implant for patients with paralysis. This is reported by Reuters with reference to the company’s statement.
People with paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are eligible to participate in the study. The trial itself will last about six years, but the number of participants is still unknown.
Neuralink explained that the study will use a robot to surgically install a brain-computer interface (BCI) implant in the brain region that controls the intention to move.
The initial goal of the research is to allow people to control the cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts.
In the spring, the company announced the receipt of approval for the first human clinical trial of brain implants from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to Elon Musk, brain implants can cure a number of diseases, including obesity, depression, and schizophrenia. They can also enable web browsing and telepathy.