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MagyarNeuralink's first test patient can control mouse by thinking, says Elon Musk
After being implanted with Neuralink’s brain-chip last month, it seems the company’s first human patient is not only doing well but is able to control a computer mouse in initial testing. Elon Musk said while answering a question in a Spaces event on X (fka Twitter), “Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with no ill effects that we are aware of. Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking.”
Neuralink started inviting participants for its PRIME study (short for Precise Robotically IMplanted Brain-Computer InterfacE) in September last year, and successfully implanted its first N1 device in a human late last month. Currently, Musk says, “we’re trying to get as many button presses as possible from thinking, so that’s what we’re currently working on."
I asked Elon Musk about the progress of Neuralink's first human patient and the answer was pretty incredible.
— ⭕ Brock Pierson (@brockpierson) February 20, 2024
Listen here: pic.twitter.com/uPHNyOn0rk
We’re excited to announce that recruitment is open for our first-in-human clinical trial!
— Neuralink (@neuralink) September 19, 2023
If you have quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), you may qualify. Learn more about our trial by visiting our recent blog post.…
The initial goal is to enable those who’ve lost the use of their limbs through paralysis or amputation to be able to control a computer cursor or keyboard with their thoughts alone. Accordingly, the candidates it invited were those with quadriplegia due to spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who haven't seen noticeable motor function improvement for a year or more after their injury. In the long term, the company believes its implantable chip will be able to help manage conditions like obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.
Work on brain-computer interface (BCI) devices has been ongoing for years, and the ability to effect computer inputs with one’s thoughts is not exactly unheard of either. However, Neuralink stands to do for BCI tech what Tesla did for electric vehicles: introduce the technology in a form that’s practically usable in daily life. Instead of an elaborate head-mounted apparatus, the N1 device is fully implantable with wireless data transmission and battery charging. It also gathers more data than most other BCI devices, thanks to its 1024 electrodes distributed over 64 fine filaments.
Neuralink’s technology has attracted its share of controversy and scepticism, however. The company has been criticised for lack of transparency around its PRIME study, as well as for the alleged cruel treatment of monkeys during animal testing.
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