Neuralink successfully implants its brain chip in a human volunteer

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has reached a new milestone.

Musk announced that Neuralink has successfully implanted a chip in a human volunteer for the first time. This comes after the company obtained FDA approval in May last year and started looking for volunteers in November 2023.

The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.

Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024

According to Musk’s tweet, the volunteer received the implant on Sunday, January 28th, and is recovering well. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” he added.

According to previous reports about the procedure, the volunteer likely had a small piece of their skull removed, after which a robotic surgeon would have inserted wires and electrodes into the volunteer’s brain. The wires would have then been connected to a computer the size of a quarter, which would replace the missing piece of the skull.

Neuralink’s brain chip is designed to be invisible under the skin, and it works by translating brain signals into commands that can be executed by a computer. The chip is called ‘Telepathy,’ and according to Musk, it will essentially allow people to control devices with their thoughts, such as making phone calls, playing games, or surfing the web. Musk claims that, given enough time, the technology would be able to restore vision, movement, and other functions that are impaired by neurological conditions.

Enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.

Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs.

Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 30, 2024

However, not everyone is a fan of Neuralink. The company faced severe criticism after it tested its chips on animals, mostly monkeys, many of whom faced complications like bloody diarrhea, partial paralysis and brain swelling, or died due to the chip malfunctioning. 

Source: @elonmusk