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Elon Musk says his startup Neuralink has successfully inserted the company’s brain implant into a human patient for the first time.On Monday, Musk announced the news on Twitter/X, saying the unnamed patient is “recovering well,” after receiving the implant the day before. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” he added in the tweet. Musk didn’t elaborate, but Neuralink has been designing the technology so that the implant can read the human user’s brain signals in the form of neural activity spikes. The goal is to then use those brain signals and translate them into remote commands for today’s consumer devices, like moving a computer cursor. “Enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking,” Musk added in a follow-up tweet.
In the same tweet thread, Musk revealed Neuralink plans on calling its first product “Telepathy.”“Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs,” he added. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.”Back in September, Neuralink began recruiting users, particularly quadriplegics, to sign up for the first clinical human trials involving the company’s brain implant. It looks like the company found at least one suitable candidate for its so-called “PRIME” study. But time will tell if the technology works, without causing major health complications.
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The implant, called the N1 chip, is about the size of a coin and designed to read brain activity through 64 fine threads that contain 1,024 electrodes. Although fairly sizable, the chip is meant to be “cosmetically invisible” once it’s surgically installed. The implant can then transmit signals, which can be decoded by Neuralink’s mobile app, allowing the user to control other electronic devices. The company expects the PRIME study to take 6 years to complete for individuals who sign up.
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