Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink announced on Thursday that it had obtained official approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch its first clinical study in humans.
“We are thrilled to share that we have received FDA approval to initiate our first-in-man clinical study! » Neuralink writing on Twitter.
“This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team working closely with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” he added.
The company said recruitment was not yet open for the clinical trial. However, anyone interested in participating in the clinical trial can register their information on the Neuralink site. patient register.
According to the website, “Anyone in the United States who is at least 18 years old and has reached the age of majority in their state, who is capable of consent, and who has tetraplegia, paraplegia, vision loss , hearing loss and/or inability to speak, is invited to participate in the Patient Registry.
Adding: “If you participate in the patient registry and we determine that you meet preliminary eligibility for future clinical trials, we may contact you to notify you of those trials once they become available.”
Neuralink’s goal is to develop brain-machine interface technology, often referred to as neural lace, that establishes a direct connection between the human brain and the external computer.
The brain-implant interface developed by Neuralink involves the insertion of tiny flexible electrode wires into the brain. These threads are finer than human hair and are designed to minimize damage to brain tissue during the implantation process. The wires contain many electrodes capable of sensing and stimulating neural activity.
One of the primary goals of the Neuralink brain-implant interface is to treat neurological conditions such as paralysis, spinal cord injury, and various brain disorders.
SHOW:
We build surgical simulations for faster iteration and better test coverage. Join us to help develop this capability #techtuesday pic.twitter.com/JHFM5HersL
—Neuralink (@neuralink) March 21, 2023
The company was founded in 2016 and did not seek FDA approval until early 2022, in which the agency denied the request, Reuters reported.
Elon Musk congratulated the Neuralink team for this new development.
Congratulations to the Neuralink team! https://t.co/AWZGf33UDr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2023
Our surgical robot uses advanced imaging systems to detect the brain and insert wires away from blood vessels. Here you can see everything the robot sees as we test the accuracy of each of the robot’s high precision cameras #techtuesday pic.twitter.com/c5rklTp2m4
—Neuralink (@neuralink) May 23, 2023
Through the development of Neuralink’s brain implant interface, Elon Musk envisions a future where humans can merge with artificial intelligence, expanding human cognitive abilities and enabling more seamless interaction with technology.
Although the approval is hailed as a milestone for Neuralink, critics say there are several potential risks and ethical implications associated with the technology.
One of the main concerns raised is about privacy and security. Critics argue that brain-implant interfaces involve the transmission and storage of neural data, raising apprehensions about unauthorized access, data breaches, or even the potential for manipulation.
On the one hand, I’m absolutely terrified of the inevitable privacy, security, and ethical implications of Neuralink.
On the other hand, I want to be able to record my dreams and use MidJourney and Photoshop as plugins to create any image I could literally imagine. pic.twitter.com/clVlF34kWl
— 【 . 】 (@Vox_Oculi) May 25, 2023