Elon Musk’s Neuralink Achieves Milestone with First Human Subject Controlling Computer Mouse through Thoughts
After receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2023, Neuralink, Elon Musk’s innovative neurotechnology company, successfully implanted its first patient with a brain-chip interface called the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) in January 2024. The primary objective of embedding the BCI into the brain is to enable users to control computer devices using their thoughts. Recent reports suggest that Musk has reached a significant milestone in this endeavor.
During a recent X/Twitter space session, the billionaire entrepreneur revealed that the first human patient of Neuralink has shown remarkable progress, recovering fully with no adverse effects. The individual is now capable of maneuvering a computer mouse on the screen solely by thinking. Despite no official announcement on the company’s website, Musk’s statement has stirred excitement within the scientific and technological communities.
Neuralink’s innovative BCI, known as the N1 Implant, is a fully implantable and discreet interface connected to a dedicated app. Encased in a biocompatible enclosure, the N1 implant comprises 1024 electrodes spread across 64 threads that wirelessly transmit human neural activity to the Neuralink app. Designed to endure harsh physiological conditions, the implant’s battery is wirelessly charged using a portable inductive charger. The intricate implantation process involves a surgical robot, given the minuscule size of the implant’s threads, which are finer than a human hair.
To qualify for Neuralink’s trials, prospective patients must be amputees or individuals who have lost the ability to use both hands due to conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or cervical spinal cord injury. While Neuralink’s technological advancements hold promising implications for enhancing human-computer interactions, the company has faced criticism for its treatment of animals in past experiments, leading to the needless suffering and death of numerous test subjects.
Despite these controversies, Neuralink’s breakthroughs in neurotechnology continue to captivate the scientific community and the general public. As Musk and his team push the boundaries of innovation, the future possibilities of interfacing human brains with computers become increasingly tangible, opening new avenues for scientific discovery and technological advancement.
For further reading:
– Musk Claims First Neuralink Human Implant Successful; Unveils ‘Telepathy’ That Allows Device Control By Thoughts
– Musk Lied About Monkey Deaths, Report Says
– Mark Zuckerberg And Priscilla Chan’s Next Project Will End Every Known Disease By 2100 With The Help Of AI
