Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink is looking for volunteers for its first human clinical trial of a brain implant.
The device has previously been tested on pigs and monkeys but is yet to be planted into a human brain, making the trial the first of its kind.
After receiving approval from the FDA in May, they announced the launch of the trial on Musk’s app X, formerly known as Twitter, asking for volunteers.
We’re excited to announce that recruitment is open for our first-in-human clinical trial!
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.…
— Neuralink (@neuralink) September 19, 2023
The company has outlined that the study aims to help people with paralysis, conditions like ALS and even schizophrenia.
“The initial goal of our BCI is to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone” a blog post from the company states.
“During the study, the R1 Robot will be used to surgically place the N1 Implant’s ultra-fine and flexible threads in a region of the brain that controls movement intention,” the blog continues.
@itzjoshuajake Elon Musk AI Chip Brain implant 🤖🚨 #neruolink #ai #artifificialintelligence
They are also confident they can use the device to restore vision and full body functionality to people with severed spinal cords.
They state that the device is “an important step in our mission to create a generalised brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs.”
If you’re interested in whether you’re eligible for the trial, you must be 22 years old and have a consistent and reliable caregiver.
You can even experience what the implant could allow you to control with your mind, on their website here.
Is this the future?
If you want to hear more about what wild things Elon Musk is up to, check out the podcast on iHeartRadio below.
