Elon Musk’s Neuralink has received FDA approval for human clinical trials, which means the company is now ready to open up human skulls and implant chips that would reportedly help restore mobility and communication abilities.
This comes after the company tested its chips on animals, mostly monkeys, many of whom faced complications like bloody diarrhea, partial paralysis and brain swelling, and died due to the chip malfunctioning.
The human trial volunteer will have to undergo a procedure that involves removing a piece of their skull and inserting thin wires and electrodes into their brain by a robotic surgeon. The wires will connect to a computer the size of a quarter, which will replace the missing piece of the skull.
According to Bloomberg, the ideal candidate for the trial will be a quadriplegic person under the age of 40. The procedure’s main aim would be to help restore the candidate’s mobility.
The publication suggests that Neuralink has received interest from thousands of potential patients, though it has not yet found its first volunteer.
Neuralink aims to perform a total of 11 surgeries in 2024, 27 in 2025, 79 in 2026, 499 surgeries in 2027 and 22,204 by 2030.
It is unclear when exactly the trials will start and how many candidates Neuralink plans to enroll.
Read the complete Bloomberg report here.
Source: Bloomberg
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