Elon Musk, who is best known as the head of Tesla and SpaceX, announced the successful implementation of a chip in the human brain. This was done by specialists of  Neuralink (a different company owned by Elon Musk), which focuses on developing technology for combining a computer and the human brain. According to the entrepreneur, the surgery was successful and the patient is “recovering well.” With the help of a small implant in his head, he will be able to control electronic devices using his thoughts. In the future, this technology will be able to restore the ability to speak and move to people affected by diseases of the brain and spinal cord.

Elon Musk announced the first successful “chipping” of a person on social networks. According to him, a neurochip installed in a volunteer’s brain will allow him to control electronic devices such as a computer and smartphone with the power of thought. He noted that the patient is already recovering, and the formation of neural spikes is observed in his brain. The entrepreneur did not elaborate, but this may mean that brain neurons have begun to interact with the chip, and this is very good news – the technology really works.

Right now, the patient is unlikely to be able to control electronics with the power of thought – to do this, he first needs to recover from surgery. The technology that will allow this to be done is called “Telepathy” (the supposed communication of thoughts or ideas by means other than the known senses.). Indeed, if a volunteer fully recovers and is able to control equipment simply by thinking about doing something, it will be similar to telepathic abilities.

“Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a typist (a woman who types on a typewriter) or an auctioneer. This is our goal,” Elon Musk told the authors of CNBC.

Treatment of paralysis from Neuralink

Nothing is known about who the first “chipped” person was and how the operation was carried out. To conduct the first clinical trial of the chips, Neuralink needed to obtain approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At first, approval was not possible because the management believed that the technology might be too dangerous for people – at least this was due to the use of a lithium battery to power the chip. But in May 2023, permission to conduct tests was nevertheless received.

Also read: The benefits of AI and the Future.

In September 2023, it became known that people with paralysis associated with neck injuries and amyotrophic sclerosis would qualify for participation in the first clinical trial. Most likely, the volunteer who received the chip has one of these diagnoses.

IMPORTANT: it is worth noting that in the same 2023, Elon Musk spoke about a person with tetraplegia – paraplegia (a condition in which the arms and legs are paralyzed), due to which he cannot walk. It was reported that the operation would be carried out live, but it never took place. It is possible that company representatives first decided to test whether the technology could allow people to control a computer with their thoughts. And only then start restoring motor functions. But this is just a guess, there is no official data.

How Neuralink implants a chip in the brain.

How the operation was carried out can be assumed based on the information provided by the CEO during press.  He said  the chip being implanted into the human brain has dimensions of 2.3×0.8 millimeters, is located on the outside of the skull and is hidden under the skin. From it, 1024 thin electrodes go to the brain to transmit information between the brain and the chip, and vice versa. To carry out the operation, the company created a robot to be used during the activities of the surgery.

Neuralink patient almost recovered.

In the second half of February 2024, it became known that the first patient with an electronic implant from Neuralink learned to move the mouse cursor with the power of thought, which was noted by the founder of the startup, Elon Musk.

He reported good results and complete recovery of the patient, who could control a cursor just by thinking about it. The company’s current goal is to improve interaction and further develop the capabilities of the implant.

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Neuralink was founded by Elon Musk in 2016 and has come a long way since then. Previously, tests were carried out only on animals, but they were amazing with the achievements of science – in 2021, a chipped monkey controlled a computer with the power of thought, and a year later it was already typing text. Without any doubt, brain-computer interfaces will greatly change our lives in the future.

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