Neuralink: Elon Musk’s brain chip firm says US approval won for human study

• By James FitzGerald
• BBC News

55 minutes ago

Elon Musk’s brain-chip firm says it has received approval from the US Meals and Drugs Administration (FDA) to conduct its initially tests on humans.

The billionaire’s Neuralink implant firm desires to enable restore people’s vision and mobility by connecting brains with computer systems.

It says it does not have instant plans to get started recruiting participants. Mr Musk’s preceding ambitions to commence tests came to absolutely nothing.

The regulator itself is but to comment.

An earlier bid by Neuralink to win FDA approval was rejected on security grounds, according to a report in March by the Reuters news agency that cited a number of present and former workers.

Neuralink hopes to use its microchips to treat circumstances such as paralysis and blindness, and to enable particular disabled individuals use computer systems and mobile technologies.

The chips – which have been tested in monkeys – are developed to interpret signals developed in the brain and relay details to devices by way of Bluetooth.

The approval was “the outcome of amazing perform by the Neuralink group in close collaboration with the FDA”, it mentioned.

The firm promised far more details “quickly” on plans to sign up trial participants.

Its web page promises that “security, accessibility and reliability” are all priorities through its engineering approach.

Specialists have cautioned that Neuralink’s brain implants will demand substantial testing to overcome technical and ethical challenges if they are to grow to be broadly offered.

The firm – which was co-founded by Mr Musk in 2016 – has repeatedly overestimated the speed at which it can execute its plans.

Its initial aim was to get started planting chips in human brains in 2020, in order to honour a pledge produced the year ahead of. It later vowed to get began in 2022.

A paralysed man from the Netherlands was in a position to stroll merely by pondering about it – thanks to a method of implants which wirelessly transmit his thoughts to his legs and feet.

Video caption,

Swiss researchers use brain implant to enable paralysed man stroll