Neuralink—billionaire Elon Musk’s brain implant company—announced Tuesday it received approval from an independent review board and hospital to begin its first in-human clinical trial for a chip that is implanted in one’s brain to control movement, and is now recruiting participants.
Elon Musk's Neuralink announced on September 19 that it is recruiting participants to its first ... [+]
Neuralink’s “Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface” (PRIME) study study, has been working to create a fully implantable, wireless brain-computer interface that could enable people with paralysis to use devices with their thoughts.
The study received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in May, after previously testing its devices on animals.
The company is now recruiting participants who have “quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” or ALS, to participate in the trial that will evaluate safety of the chip.
In the trial, a robot will be used to surgically place the implant’s “ultra-fine and flexible threads” into the brain—from there, the implant is supposed to “record and transmit brain signals wirelessly to an app that decodes movement intention,” according to Neuralink.