Brain Chip Patient Who Can Use Their Mind To Control Computer Mouse Makes 'Full Recovery'
Elon Musk, founder of the $5 billion tech start-up Neuralink, reported a "full recovery" this week for the first ever human patient to be implanted with a brain chip.
"Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with no ill effects that we are aware of. Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking," Musk stated late Monday during an X Spaces event.
Reuters reported that Neuralink was trying to get the patient to click the mouse as much as possible. Musk, 52, said after the procedure "initial results show promising neuron spike detection."
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In May, the tech start-up received the green light from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implant chips into humans. The successful implant comes just one month after receiving approval for human trial recruitment in September.
Reportedly,Neuralink's goal for the human trials was to enable a person who may be paralyzed to operate a computer or phone.
The cosmetically invisible N1 implant is hermetically sealed in a biocompatible enclosure that can withstand physiological conditions several times harsher than those in the human body. The chip is powered by a battery that charges wirelessly from outside the body via a compact. Flexible ultra-thin threads are used to minimize damage during implantation and future use.
Last month, Neuralink was fined by the U.S. Department of Transportation after investigators found the company's Texas and California sites were improperly packaging hazardous waste. Substances found included the flammable liquid Xylene, which can cause irritation, headaches, dizziness, and possible death at high doses.
They also found that the company wasn't registered to transport hazardous materials during that time.
Despite some controversy, Musk has big dreams for the technology, saying insertion of the device may later treat conditions such as obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.
According to CNBC, In December 2022, Musk suggested in a post on X that he will eventually have a Neuralink chip implanted into his brain as well.
However, the post has since been deleted by the author.
