Elon Musk's Neuralink performs its first brain implant in a human being

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk announced that his brain interface company Neuralink He managed to perform his first implant in a human being, but did not give more details.

The patient received the implant on Sunday and “is recovering well,” Musk said Monday in a message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

He added that “preliminary results show a promising increase in the detection of neurons.”

Musk, Billionaire entrepreneur and founder of Neuralink, did not give more details about the patient. When Neuralink announced in September that it would start recruiting people, he said that looking for people with quadriplegia due to spinal injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Neuralink republished Musk’s message on social network X, but did not provide further details about the human implant. The company has not responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

🧠 | Elon Musk revealed yesterday that his company Neuralink has implanted a brain device in a human for the first time, allowing one to control a phone and other devices “just with thought.” pic.twitter.com/F6iXphNdUS

— UHN PLUS (@UHN_Plus) January 30, 2024

He Neuralink device is the size of a large coin and is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires connected directly to the brain. In its announcement in September, Neuralink said the cables would be surgically connected to the sector of the brain that controls motor function.

The initial purpose of the so-called brain interface is to give people the ability to control a computer with thought alone.

In another message on X on Monday, Musk said that the Neuralink’s first product is called “Telepathy” and that will allow the user to control their phones or computers “with just a thought.” He added that the first users will be people who have lost the use of limbs.

It’s official, the Neuralink human brain chip is ready.

If everything goes well, strong changes are coming for humanity.

Let’s see what it can do 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/4MJF7GxQhf

— Weplash⚡️ (@weplash) January 30, 2024

It remains to be seen how this device or other interfaces will eventually work, or whether they will be secure. Tests have been set to collect data on its safety and effectiveness.

Neuralink is one of several companies working on linking the nervous system with computers to help people with brain and other diseases or injuries. There are currently more than 40 brain interface trials underway, according to clinicaltrials.gov.