Elon Musk, billionaire founder of Neuralink, announced that the first human received a brain implant from the startup on Sunday (28). The announcement was made in a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night (29).
“The first human received a Neuralink implant yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising detection of neuron spikes,” Musk wrote in the post.
The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.
Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024
What is Neuralink and what does it develop?
Neuralink is a startup founded in 2016 by Musk and a group of engineers. The company is building a brain chip interface to be implanted in the skull. The goal is to help people with disabilities or traumatic injuries move, communicate, operate phones and other devices, and restore vision.
To achieve this, Neuralink is based on technologies used for decades to implant electrodes in human brains to interpret signals and treat diseases such as paralysis, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. The first time a device of this type was developed was in 2004 and became known as the Utah array.
How does the brain implant work?
The Neuralink implant, called “Telepathy“, has a chip that processes and transmits neural signals that can be transmitted to devices such as computers or phones. The startup hopes that a person with a disability can control a mouse, keyboard or send a text message through their thoughts.
To carry out these actions, the device has more than a thousand electrodes, a greater number than other implants developed so far. It targets individual neurons, which will allow a greater degree of precision for its functions if successful.
In 2021, Musk used X to comment more about the product he was developing. “@Neuralink’s first product will allow someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using their thumbs,” he wrote.
First @Neuralink product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2021
How have the implant tests been so far?
Since its founding, Neuralink has carried out several tests on animals. In 2021, the company released a video that showed a monkey playing a simple video game after receiving a brain implant.
However, the company was heavily criticized for testing on animals. According to Reuters, the Inspector General of the United States Department of Agriculture has opened a federal investigation into potential animal welfare violations in 2022. According to documents analyzed by the news agency, the rush to carry out testing caused unnecessary suffering and deaths – around 1,500 animals would have been killed since the tests began.
In May 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized recruitment for the first-in-human trial of its brain implant for patients with paralysis.
Since September 2023, when the company opened registrations for volunteers, thousands of people have signed up for the human test, according to information from Bloomberg. People with paralysis caused by cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) could volunteer.
How long do the tests last?
The test aims to understand whether the device can be safe in humans and help the company define the right design for the implant. In November last year, the company’s expectation was that 11 surgeries would be performed in 2024, 27 in 2025 and 79 in 2026. For 2030, 22 thousand surgeries are expected, according to documents provided by the company to investors.
In total, according to experts, it could take more than a decade for Neuralink to obtain authorization for commercial use.
How much does the Neuralink implant cost?
According to Neuralink estimates, the device has an estimated value of US$10,500, equivalent to around R$ 51 mil. According to Bloomberg, the amount should cover exams, labor and parts used for its development.
Share: