The first-ever human implant of Neuralink, a neurotech business founded by Elon Musk, was completed on Sunday, and the patient is “recovering well,” the billionaire announced in a Monday post on X, the former Twitter platform.
The business is working on a brain implant that would allow people who are severely paralyzed to control external devices solely with their brain impulses. According to a blog post, Neuralink gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct its first in-human clinical research back in May, and the company started enrolling patients for the study in the fall.
According to an X post, Musk announced on Monday that Neuralink’s debut product is named Telepathy.
Patients suffering from severe degenerative diseases such as ALS may eventually be able to utilize the device to browse social media or communicate by mentally moving cursors and typing.
Musk remarked, “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than an auctioneer or speed typist.” “That is the goal.”
Neuralink’s approach to commercialization includes several steps, the first of which is the in-human clinical trial. Before receiving the FDA’s ultimate approval, medical device businesses must go through multiple rounds of rigorous testing and data collection related to data safety.
The number of human participants in Neuralink’s initial in-human trial was not disclosed. When CNBC reached out to the corporation for comment regarding the recent operation, they did not get back to us right away.
Because of Musk’s prominence as the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, Neuralink is arguably the most well-known business in the developing brain-computer interface, or BCI, sector. Many businesses, including Synchron, Precision Neuroscience, Paradromics, and Blackrock Neurotech, have developed BCIs—systems that interpret brain impulses and convert them into commands for external technology.
It is the goal of Paradromics to begin its first human patient trial during the first part of this year. Last year, Precision Neuroscience conducted its first clinical trial on human subjects. In 2021, a patient who received Synchron’s BCI posted on Twitter from CEO Tom Oxley’s account.
Which business will enter the market first is uncertain.