Elon Musk's Neuralink Says Brain-to-Computer Interface Has FDA Approval for Clinical Trial

This isn’t the only implantable device under study.

Blackrock Neurotech and Synchron have already implanted their devices in people for clinical trials, the Post reported.

There are at least 42 people in the world with brain computer implants, the Post reported, including a quadriplegic patient walking and an ALS patient typing by thinking about keystrokes.

While other companies have been focused on restoring function in people who have lost it because of health diagnoses, Neuralink has tweeted previously, “We want to surpass able-bodied human performance with our technology."

The concept is that a computer chip with electrodes would be sewed into the brain’s surface by a robot and then regularly updated.

“I’m pretty sure you would not want the iPhone 1 stuck in your head if the iPhone 14 is available,” Musk said at an event in late November.

Neuralink, founded in 2016, has 400 employees and operates out of Fremont, Calif., with a campus under construction in Austin, the Post reported. It has raised at least $363 million, according to data provider PitchBook.

More information

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has more on brain-computer interfaces.

SOURCE: Washington Post