2023-09-21 08:45:26
2 hours ago
Neuralink, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, announced on the 20th (local time) that it is recruiting participants for its first clinical trial to implant a computer chip in the brain.
Neuralink wants to first test its technology on paralyzed people with the goal of connecting the human brain with a computer.
It is explained that if a BCI is implanted through a robot-assisted surgery, one can operate the mouse cursor or type with just one’s thoughts.
However, there are competitors who have already implanted BCI devices in the human body.
Meanwhile, Neuralink, which had previously been struggling for approval, finally received approval for its first human clinical trial from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May.
At the time, Neuralink gave significance to the FDA approval, saying, “It is an important first step so that our technology can one day help many people.”
Current and former employees of Neuralink told Archyde.com, “Neuralink requested approval for device implantation for a total of 10 people,” but the number of people ultimately approved is unknown.
brain signal
Neuralink, which has been researching this field for the past six years, announced at the beginning of its research that it would implant 64 strands of flexible thread, thinner than a human hair, into the part of the brain that controls “motor intention” through robotic surgery.
Neuralink’s experimental ‘N1’ implant will then capture brain signals and transmit them to an app that deciphers how the person wants to move. And the N1 implant runs on a battery that can be charged wirelessly.
Neuralink explained that it is recruiting subjects for its first clinical trial among people with limb paralysis due to injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), a disease in which motor neurons in the cervical spinal cord and brain degenerate.
Meanwhile, although Neuralink is well-known due to Musk, there are also competitors in this field. Some of these companies have been around for almost 20 years. ‘Black Rock Neurotech’, located in Utah, USA, succeeded in BCI implantation in 2004.
Precision Neuroscience, founded by Neuralink’s co-founder, also aims to help paralyzed patients. In addition, Precision Neuroscience’s implant is shaped like a very thin piece of tape and settles on the surface of the brain. It is said that it can be implanted much more simply through a “microscopic slit in the skull.”
Meanwhile, there are devices that are already producing results. Two separate scientific studies in the U.S. are using implants to monitor brain activity during conversations, which can then be decoded to help users communicate.
Dr. Adrian Rapo, a researcher at the ‘Neural Interface Lab’ at Imperial College London, UK and co-founder of the neural transplant startup ‘Mint Neuro’, said in an interview with the BBC, “Neuralink’s transplant surgery is assisted by a robot, so “Neuralink’s transplant surgery is assisted by a robot. “It is clearly advantageous on the side,” he claimed.
But it’s unclear how Neuralink is better than BlackRock Neurotech at converting brain signals into useful activity, and whether it can maintain accuracy and reliability over time after implantation, Dr. Rapo said. “It is already a known problem,” he pointed out.
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