An earlier effort at the experiment did not turn out well; in fact, there were reports of several monkeys dying after having a microchip implanted in their brains.
This time, however, Neuralink's inventor Elon Musk joyfully declared that his business has successfully implanted a wireless brain chip into a human.
Musk stated in a post on X that the patient was recuperating nicely and that encouraging brain activity had been seen following the surgery. The startup wants to assist treat complicated neurological diseases by bridging the gap between the human brain and technology.
Such gadgets have previously been implanted by a number of competing corporations and institutes. One of these is the paraplegic guy who was able to walk only by thinking thanks to the efforts of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Neuralink has faced criticism previously; in December 2022, the Reuters news agency revealed that the corporation had conducted research that led to the deaths of almost 1,500 animals, including pigs, lambs, and monkeys.
The US Department of Agriculture's chief announced in July 2023 that he had not discovered any infractions of the company's animal research standards.
In May 2023, Neuralink obtained authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct human microchip testing. Musk stated that Neuralink's initial offering will be dubbed Telepathy in another X post.
He said that by using telepathy, one would be able to thought to operate a phone, computer, or nearly any other gadget. Those who have lost the use of their limbs will be the initial users.
A co-founder of Neuralink launched Precision Neuroscience with the same goal of aiding those who suffer from paralysis.
Furthermore, his implant appears to be a very thin piece of tape that covers the surface of the brain and may be placed through a little incision in the skull—a process that is reportedly far less complicated.
In the meanwhile, Neuralink declared in September that the implant will be tested.
The trial will involve the surgical implantation of ultra-thin wires from the implants, which assist send impulses into the patients' brains, via a robot the business built.