A patient who has been implanted with Neuralink’s brain technology is now able to control a computer mouse solely through their thoughts, as confirmed by the company’s founder Elon Musk.
“[The] patient seems to have made a full recovery with no ill effects that we are aware of and can control the mouse, move the mouse around the screen just by thinking,” Musk stated during a Spaces session on the social media platform X.
Neuralink, the brainchild of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, asserts that it has developed a brain implant aimed at enabling humans to utilize their neural signals for controlling external technologies. The overarching goal of the company is to restore lost capabilities such as vision, motor function, and speech.
In January, Neuralink achieved a significant milestone by implanting its device in a human for the first time. The process involves the use of a robot to precisely implant the device in the brain.
Musk, who also serves as the CEO of Tesla, emphasized that Neuralink is focused on maximizing the functionality derived from thought alone. This could entail actions such as moving the computer mouse up and down to drag boxes on a screen.
Neuralink commenced the recruitment of patients for its inaugural in-human clinical trial last fall following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May, as detailed in a blog post.
The initiation of the in-human clinical trial represents just one phase in Neuralink’s journey toward commercialization. Medical device companies are required to undergo multiple rounds of rigorous data collection and safety testing before securing final approval from the FDA.
