As of: January 30, 2024, 12:33 p.m
By: Ulrike Hagen
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A brain chip from the Musk start-up Neuralink has been inserted into a human for the first time.
This should make “telepathic” control of computers possible.
San Francisco – Neuralink, the US company owned by tech billionaire and Tesla founder Elon Musk, reports a breakthrough.
The start-up successfully used a brain implant on a human for the first time, as Musk announced on Monday (January 29) on his platform X, formerly Twitter.
Neuralink's innovative implant promises to control technologies such as smartphones and computers using thoughts alone.
It could represent a breakthrough in medical technology for the treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, dementia and spinal cord injuries.
Neuralink was the first to use a brain implant in a human.
It is intended to connect the brain and computer and thus enable paralyzed people to walk and communicate.
© IMAGO/Jonathan Raa
Musk start-up Neuralink is using brain implants in humans for the first time
The breakthrough reported by Elon Musk could represent a revolutionary advance in the development of brain-computer interfaces.
Neuralink's implant, which received approval for clinical trials from the US Food and Drug Administration in May 2023, is flat and round, with a total of 1024 electrodes.
A robot connects these electrodes to the patient's brain using an extremely fine needle, reports the German Press Agency.
Before being used in humans, the technology was tested on monkeys.
For the clinical study, Neuralink specifically sought patients with quadriplegia – a form of paraplegia that affects both the legs and arms.
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Neuralink by Elon Musk: Chip in the brain – how the implant is supposed to help patients
The basic idea behind the implant is that certain areas of the brain become active as soon as people start moving.
The implant's electrodes pick up these signals, and it should be enough to imagine a movement, for example to control a computer cursor.
Accordingly, Neuralink's first product will be called “Telepathy,” Musk wrote in another post on X.
Neuralink will help people who have lost the connection between their brain and their body function again.
Elon Musk
In particular, people who are limited due to the loss of the ability to use their limbs are expected to benefit from this groundbreaking technology.
Musk explains: “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or an auctioneer.
That is the goal".
Breakthrough in neurotechnology: Brain implant should make cell phone control “telepathically” possible
Even with successful operations, it can often take months for patients to learn to control computers using their thoughts alone.
Neuralink's clinical study is scheduled to last six years, but the first tests after implant transplantation already give cause for hope.
SpaceX founder Musk explained: “Initial results show promising detection of neuron spikes.” The patient is in good condition after the procedure on Sunday.
In addition to Neuralink, other companies have also expressed interest in the technology.
Precision Neuroscience plans to attach a 1024-electrode implant to the brain in a minimally invasive manner, while rival Synchron is introducing its 16-electrode system via blood vessels near the relevant brain areas.
Competition in this area promises broader application and improving technologies for the future of neurotechnology.