Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which is developing a neural interface for exchanging information between the brain and a computer, announced the recruitment of volunteers for the first-in-human clinical trial. The information appeared on the company’s official website.
An implant will be implanted in the brains of study participants. Scientists will evaluate its safety and how people can control external devices with their thoughts thanks to the chip. In the future they plan to implant them in people with paralysis. People with quadriplegia (paralysis of the arms and legs) due to a cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can apply for a volunteer position.
In 2019, Neuralink tested its chips on monkeys and, in 2020, on pigs. In April 2021, the developers showed a video of a monkey playing a video game with the power of his thoughts. Animal rights activists accused the project led by Musk of animal cruelty. According to them, 15 of 23 monkeys implanted with the devices died.
In 2022, the company first applied to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to begin clinical trials in humans. However, the regulator had doubts about the overheating of the devices, as well as the presence of chemicals that, according to the US health department, could penetrate the brain. In May 2023, Neuralink finally received permission from the FDA to conduct clinical trials of a chip implanted in the brain of humans.
Previously, information appeared about the secret third child of former lovers Elon Musk and Grimes. The details were published in the biography of the Tesla founder written by journalist Walter Isaacson.
