Elon Musk’s brain chip implant startup’s first human patient has “made a full recovery” and can “move a mouse around the screen just by thinking,” he said on a Spaces event on X, according to Reuters.
Neuralink performed its first human implant last month, after receiving approval from an independent review board in September to start recruiting paralysis patients for the brain implant. In May, Neuralink said it had received FDA approval to begin testing the brain chip in human patients.
Musk announced Neuralink in 2017, with a mission to “Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs” through its implantable brain chips. The surgery involves attaching the implant, called the “Link,” directly to the brain to read neural signals. Wires from the device are meant to monitor the patient’s brain activity and use electricity to stimulate certain areas of the brain.
After the implant last month, Musk posted on X, “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.” Now, Neuralink is testing how many mouse clicks the patient can make without using their hands, Musk said in the Spaces event. He said there are “no ill effects that we are aware of.” Neuralink did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Quartz.
Neuralink aims to help treat patients with neurological diseases including Parkinson’s and epilepsy in the short term. But Musk, who has expressed concern against the development of generative AI, despite his involvement in its development, has also proposed using the technology as a way for humans to avoid an AI takeover.
Last month, a report found Neuralink was recently fined by the U.S. Department of Transportation for violating rules on the movement of hazardous materials, but the issue was settled. In 2022, Neuralink was under fire from animal rights group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture accusing it of torturing monkey test subjects.