The Neuralink chip is implanted in a human for the first time.

According to the company's founder and owner, Elon Musk, a computer chip developed by Neuralink has reached a major milestone in the field of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) research.

“The first human transplant was from Neuralink. Late Monday, Musk announced on Twitter that he is recovering well yesterday. Early results show promising neuroscience identification.

Neuralink's initial foray into BCI was to be able to decode motion signals inferred from brain activity to control external devices such as computers. Mook then laid out the vision for the company's first product, Telepathy.

“[It] It will allow you to control your phone or computer, and almost any device with them, just by thinking,” he tweeted. “Early users will lose the use of their legs… Imagine Stephen Hawking communicating at super speed. Typist or auctioneer. This is the purpose.

In the year The California company, founded in 2016, received the green light from federal regulators at the Food and Drug Administration in September to begin human trials. Neuralink put out an open call for volunteers for the PRIME study, a hybrid nickname that stands for “Precise Robotic Brain-Computer Interface.”

Buzz about the company's progress took a bit of a beating in November when a Reuters report detailed the painful and sometimes devastating results of its animal testing.

Volunteer pool

While no further details were available on Sunday's process or the subject matter—Neuralink's company blog was last updated five months ago—Neuralink's recruiting materials outline some of the requirements for participating in human trials.

“We are looking for individuals who have quadriplegia (limited function in all four limbs) due to spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and who are at least one year post-injury (without improvement),” the company explained. Brochure posted online. Participants must be at least 22 years old and have a “permanent and reliable caregiver.”

The time commitment includes nine visits—some at the clinic, some at home—over 18 months, as well as one-hour “research sessions” twice a week.

After the initial study is complete, Neuralink expects to follow up with participants for another five years and another 20 visits.

The technology

The study is a multi-component trial, including the BCI implant itself – called the N1 – as well as a robot that “surgically places the N1 Implant in the region of the brain that controls the need for movement”.

The N1 has 1,024 electrodes spread across 64 strands, “each one thinner than a human hair,” says Neuralink, which records neural activity and transmits it to a mobile app that aims to let patients control computers with their thoughts.

Neuralink says the implant is “cosmetic invisible.”

Controversy

Several research institutes and private companies are developing BCI technology. Some of them involve surgical implantation.

An animal rights group, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), has long condemned Neuralink's approach.

“Implanted devices like Neuralink face a myriad of problems, including being difficult to repair and having a high potential for serious medical complications in patients,” the company asserted, violating federal animal welfare laws but getting a “free pass.” From the agency responsible for enforcing the law.

When the Neuralink animal test images were released in November, PCRM said the company was “harming and killing monkeys,” citing “chronic infections, paralysis, seizures, and death.” Instead, focus on improving non-invasive brain-machine interfaces.

“Non-invasive [brain–machine interfaces] It allows for risk-free monitoring of large-scale neural activity in the brain. Because they use an electroencephalogram (EEG), he says, in addition to helping with movement and movement, it “allows people to communicate.” directly using the computer.”

Last fall, scientists were able to reproduce the music a subject thought while using electrodes on the skin.

However, the Neuralink surgical method is not unique.

A nerve implant helped a paralyzed New York man move his arms and feel touch last summer.

Houston-based Motif Neurotech, which announced an $18.75 Series A funding round last week, is developing “minimally invasive” wireless therapy hardware for mental health.

Neuralink's rapid growth in human testing “validates the interest and need for neurotechnology,” Motif Neurotech CEO Jacob Robinson told the Wall Street Journal.