Neuralink, the brain chip company founded by Elon Musk, successfully implanted its inaugural chip in a human participant on Sunday. The individual is reportedly recuperating well, and initial assessments reveal promising results in terms of neuron spike detection. Last year, Neuralink obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate its inaugural human trial. Subsequently, the company sought volunteers willing to undergo chip implantation.
The billionaire entrepreneur also teased the first product from the firm, which will allow users to control gadgets and devices using their thoughts and nothing else.
Musk took to X (previously Twitter) to share details about the human trial, stating, "The first human received an implant from Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection."
Musk further disclosed that Neuralink's maiden product, dubbed Telepathy, aims to empower individuals to command their phones or computers through mere thought. "Enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking. 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. That is the goal," Musk elaborated in a subsequent post.
It is noteworthy that Elon Musk had earlier communicated on the platform that Neuralink's primary product would facilitate individuals with paralysis to operate their smartphones swiftly and without the need for manual input.
Neuralink's prior experiments involved extensive testing on animals, with Musk sharing videos of monkeys playing pong by navigating the screen solely through their brain activity. However, these experiments faced criticism from animal rights groups such as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, as reported by Bloomberg.