Implants that could help paralyzed people to walk have already passed through the test on a macaque and a pig.
The billionaire entrepreneur’s brain chip startup is ready to launch human clinical trials.
Musk co-founded Neuralink in 2016. He has promised that the technology will enable paralyzed people to use a smartphone with their minds faster than thumbs.
The company has already successfully implanted AI microchips in the brains of a macaque monkey and a pig. It is now recruiting for a clinical trial to run tests in humans.
The world’s richest person, Elon Musk, with an estimated $256bn fortune, said he was optimistic that the implants could allow disabled people to walk.
He told the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council summit that they hope to have this in humans. He explained that these people would be those with severe spinal cord injuries like tetraplegics quadriplegics. It is pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Musk said they have a chance with Neuralink to restore full-body functionality with a spinal cord injury. He explained that Neuralink is working well in monkeys. They are doing a lot of testing and confirming that it’s very safe and reliable. Also, the Neuralink device appears to be removed safely.
However, Musk has overestimated the speed of the company’s development. In 2019 he predicted that they would use the device in a human skull in 2020.
Musk’s Neuralink: the proof of testing the chip on animals
Neuralink had earlier published a video of a monkey with the chip playing the video game using its mind.
The company is also recruiting a clinical trial coordinator to help build a team to run the trial and cooperate with regulators. The company told applicants that they have the chance to change the world and work with some of the most talented experts from various fields.
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