Neuralink says it has permission to conduct its first human trials
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Brain-computer interface company Neuralink announced on May 25 that it had received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a clinical study in humans.
Neuralink did the announcement on Twitter“We are thrilled to share that we have received FDA approval to initiate our first-in-human clinical study.” The tweet said the approval “represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people.”
The company also said recruiting was not yet open for the trial, and it had not yet released any additional details about what the trial would entail.
What is Neuralink?
Neuralink was formed in 2016 by Elon Musk and a group of scientists and engineers with the ultimate goal of making devices that interface with the human brain – both by reading information from neurons and sending it back directly to the brain. So far, the venture has had mixed success.
In 2020, Musk publicly showed Neuralink’s prototype brain-computer interface for the first time. The prototype was shaped like a coin with wires attached to one side. The circular part sinks into the skull and the wires rest a few millimeters from the surface of the brain.
As part of the announcement, the Neuralink team showed a pig that had the device implanted in it to monitor neurons in its snout, producing signals when the animal touched its snout with food or the ground, and another in which the device had been implanted and then safely removed. . A year later, the company then showed how a monkey could play the classic video game pong using his device. The company has come under fire after some monkeys died in the tests and reports emerged that others had been mistreated.
Similar devices to detect and process brain signals have been used by research labs to help paralyzed people walk again, develop a mind-controlled wheelchair, and enable people with locked-in syndrome to communicate.
Neuralink did not immediately respond to new scientistrequest for comment.
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