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According to Elon Musk, the founder of Neuralink, the first patient to receive a brain chip appears to have recovered as of late on Monday, February 19, 2024. During an event hosted by journalist Katherine Brodsky on the same day, the millionaire revealed that the patient can use their thoughts to control a computer mouse.
The business successfully implanted a chip in its first human patient last month after gaining permission to start recruiting volunteers for a human study in September 2023.
According to NY Post, during the interview, Musk stated:
“Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with neural effects that we are aware of. Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking.”
Meanwhile, once the news went viral, netizens took to X to express their mixed opinions regarding the recent development.
Neuralink’s power to let the first human patient control a mouse through thinking leaves the internet divided
The billionaire's company, Neuralink, claims to have created a brain implant that enables people to use their neurological signals to control external devices. The company's mission is to recover lost abilities like voice, motor function, and vision.
Elon Musk, the company’s founder, has recently claimed that the first person to receive a Neuralink brain chip has fully recovered and is now able to operate a computer mouse with only their thoughts.
According to reports from Forbes, the company is aiming to improve certain characteristics like memory and intelligence and restore others like movement and sight.
On the other hand, once the news and the clip of the incident were uploaded on X, netizens took to the comment section of the post to react to it and express their divided opinions. Some people praised Elon Musk's technology.
However, some netizens were critical of the news.
Neuralink started the clinical trial on the last week of January 2024
In September 2023, Neuralink announced that it was accepting applications for its wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) clinical study, which would be the first of its kind in humans.
As per reports from Reuters, the company stated in the announcement that the Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface (PRIME) study would determine whether the device can assist people who are paralyzed in controlling external devices with their thoughts. It also stated that the study would evaluate the safety of the company's implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1).
According to Fox Business, Neuralink began accepting patients for the study after receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May 2023. As per the same source, Musk said that last month, the Neuralink implant was given to the first patient who took part in the clinical experiment on January 28, 2024.
As reported by CNBC, Musk further added that the business was now attempting to elicit as many mouse button presses as possible from the patient. He went on to say that this might involve dragging boxes on a screen with the computer mouse up and down.
Reuters reported that the study employs a robot to surgically implant the brain-computer interface device in a part of the brain that governs movement intention. According to the same source, the initial objective is to allow people to manipulate a computer cursor or keyboard with their thoughts.
Fox Business also reported Musk's post about the same on X. He wrote:
"Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”
Moreover, Musk has high hopes for the technology, according to Gadgets 360. As per the source, Musk further stated that the features of the gadget will enable quick surgical insertions of its chip devices to treat diseases including obesity, autism, melancholy, and schizophrenia.
On the other hand, Neuralink did not respond right away to requests for more information from Fox Business and Reuters.
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