Elon Musk’s Neuralink has been working on an interface that would allow a computer to be controlled by thought for some time. So far, however, all testing has been done on animals. But now comes the turning point: testing on humans can begin.
Neuralink has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human clinical trials of brain implants. For the Californian company, this is certainly a very important step, which, according to its representatives, will one day allow the new technology to help many people. The goal of the project is to develop an interface between the human brain and the machine. That is, to be able to control the computer with thoughts thanks to a brain implant in the form of an electronic chip. Connecting the human brain to the computer.
The search for volunteers willing to undergo testing has not yet begun. But more information will be available soon. Even the Food and Drug Administration, which granted the permit, did not comment on the matter in more detail.
Compared to Tesla’s electric car production and SpaceX’s space activities, the Neuralink startup is one of Elon Musk’s relatively small projects. Founded in 2016, the research institution develops technologies to connect humans and computers directly through brain implants. These should, for example, help people after accidents who cannot move their hands to control their own smartphones, for example, by connecting their neurons with computers.
Brain implants from Neuralink: nothing should be visible apart from a small scar
The FDA has granted Neuralink permission to test brain implants on human brains. | Source: Twitter/Neuralink (@Neuralink)
Several institutions and companies have been working on the development of the brain-computer interface (BCI – Brain-Computer Interface) for several years. The basic idea is to find a technical solution that would allow the reading and processing of human thoughts through electronic circuits and their conversion into movements or speech. If this were to be successful, for example, folded people could control the exoskeleton using their thoughts, or people with locked-in syndrome could communicate with the outside world.
According to US TV channel CNBC, brain surgery is required to deploy the neural connection implant. The connection is realized through fine cables attached directly to the human tissue in the head. The external device will then be able to be controlled wirelessly. In the first tests on pigs in 2020, Musk said that apart from a small scar on the head, nothing should be visible later.
Using an implant, Swiss surgeons enabled a paralyzed man to walk again
Approval for human testing can be considered a major success. To date, no BCI research company has received final approval to market its product.
Using electronic sensors in the head, spine and legs, Swiss scientists managed to get a Dutch man who was paralyzed after an accident back on his feet. The results of the experimental study were published in the scientific journal Nature.
Source: Twitter, ABC News
