Imagine a computer chip, powered by a mini-lithium battery, implanted in your brain that helps you control your weight, enable web browsing and telepathy with your thoughts, and also soothes, if not eliminates, mental instabilities..Science fiction? For now, yes, but it could be very real in the near future. .It’s called Neuralink, the brainchild of Elon Musk, and it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed with the first-in-human clinical trials..Musk is so confident in the system’s ability to cure a range of conditions including obesity, autism, depression, schizophrenia and other applications, he said last year he would be willing to implant them in his children..Neuralink@neuralink tweeted the FDA approval Thursday night.."We are excited to share we have received the FDA’s approval to launch our first-in-human clinical study! This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people. Recruitment is not yet open for our clinical trial. We’ll announce more information on this soon!".According to Reuters, the company sought FDA approval in early 2022, with the agency rejecting the application, seven current and former employees told Reutersin March..The FDA’s rejection was based on concerns that needed to be addressed before sanctioning human trials, according to the employees. .“Major issues involved the lithium battery of the device, the possibility of the implant's wires migrating within the brain, and the challenge of safely extracting the device without damaging brain tissue.” reports Reuters..The road to gaining FDA approval has not always been smooth. .In May last year, US lawmakers “urged regulators to investigate whether the makeup of a panel overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments,” says Reuters, adding “the Department of Transportation is separately probing whether Neuralink illegally transported dangerous pathogens on chips removed from monkey brains without proper containment measures.”.The US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General is looking into potential animal-welfare violations..According to BlazeNews, Neuralink's stated mission is to "create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow."."Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to change lives for the better," the company claims. "We are currently focused on giving people with quadriplegia the ability to control their computers and mobile devices with their thoughts. In the future, we hope to restore capabilities such as vision, motor function, and speech, and eventually expand how we experience the world.".People with the implant would charge it wirelessly, according to Neuralink.."Our brain-computer interface is fully implantable, cosmetically invisible, and designed to let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go," the company says.."The N1 Implant is powered by a small battery charged wirelessly from the outside via a compact, inductive charger that enables easy use from anywhere.".Forbes says the approval is broadly in line with Musk’s remarks at Neuralink’s most recent event in December, during which he said the company would be able to plant its first brain chip in a human in six months. .“At the event, Musk and the Neuralink team demonstrated the use of the brain chips on monkeys and pigs,” reports Forbes. “During the presentation, Musk claimed one of the first real-world applications for the chips could be the restoration of vision in people who have lost their eyesight or motor function in people who are dealing with paralysis.”.“The billionaire’s ultimate goal with Neuralink, however, is to create brain chips that allow human intelligence to directly interface and eventually merge with artificial intelligence.”
Imagine a computer chip, powered by a mini-lithium battery, implanted in your brain that helps you control your weight, enable web browsing and telepathy with your thoughts, and also soothes, if not eliminates, mental instabilities..Science fiction? For now, yes, but it could be very real in the near future. .It’s called Neuralink, the brainchild of Elon Musk, and it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed with the first-in-human clinical trials..Musk is so confident in the system’s ability to cure a range of conditions including obesity, autism, depression, schizophrenia and other applications, he said last year he would be willing to implant them in his children..Neuralink@neuralink tweeted the FDA approval Thursday night.."We are excited to share we have received the FDA’s approval to launch our first-in-human clinical study! This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people. Recruitment is not yet open for our clinical trial. We’ll announce more information on this soon!".According to Reuters, the company sought FDA approval in early 2022, with the agency rejecting the application, seven current and former employees told Reutersin March..The FDA’s rejection was based on concerns that needed to be addressed before sanctioning human trials, according to the employees. .“Major issues involved the lithium battery of the device, the possibility of the implant's wires migrating within the brain, and the challenge of safely extracting the device without damaging brain tissue.” reports Reuters..The road to gaining FDA approval has not always been smooth. .In May last year, US lawmakers “urged regulators to investigate whether the makeup of a panel overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments,” says Reuters, adding “the Department of Transportation is separately probing whether Neuralink illegally transported dangerous pathogens on chips removed from monkey brains without proper containment measures.”.The US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General is looking into potential animal-welfare violations..According to BlazeNews, Neuralink's stated mission is to "create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow."."Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to change lives for the better," the company claims. "We are currently focused on giving people with quadriplegia the ability to control their computers and mobile devices with their thoughts. In the future, we hope to restore capabilities such as vision, motor function, and speech, and eventually expand how we experience the world.".People with the implant would charge it wirelessly, according to Neuralink.."Our brain-computer interface is fully implantable, cosmetically invisible, and designed to let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go," the company says.."The N1 Implant is powered by a small battery charged wirelessly from the outside via a compact, inductive charger that enables easy use from anywhere.".Forbes says the approval is broadly in line with Musk’s remarks at Neuralink’s most recent event in December, during which he said the company would be able to plant its first brain chip in a human in six months. .“At the event, Musk and the Neuralink team demonstrated the use of the brain chips on monkeys and pigs,” reports Forbes. “During the presentation, Musk claimed one of the first real-world applications for the chips could be the restoration of vision in people who have lost their eyesight or motor function in people who are dealing with paralysis.”.“The billionaire’s ultimate goal with Neuralink, however, is to create brain chips that allow human intelligence to directly interface and eventually merge with artificial intelligence.”
