Musk's Neuralink implants brain chip in first human

Bangkok Post Group

The first human patient received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink on Sunday and is recovering well, the company's billionaire founder Elon Musk said. - REUTERS

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00:00 Elon Musk says his Neuralink brain chip startup has put an implant in a human patient for

00:06 the first time.

00:08 Musk said Sunday that the patient is recovering well, and that quote "initial results show

00:13 promising neuron spike detection."

00:15 Spikes are activity by neurons, which use electrical and chemical signals to send information

00:21 around the brain and to the body.

00:24 It's been a bumpy road for Neuralink to reach this point.

00:27 The company, valued at around $5 billion last June, has faced calls for closer scrutiny

00:31 of its safety protocols.

00:33 Reuters reported earlier this month that the company was fined for violating federal rules

00:38 on the movement of hazardous materials.

00:41 Last November, lawmakers requested an investigation into whether Musk had misled investors about

00:46 the safety of its technology, after veterinary records showed problems with implants on monkeys,

00:52 including paralysis, seizures, and brain swelling.

00:57 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the company to conduct its first human trial

01:01 last year.

01:02 Neuralink says the study uses a robot to surgically place a chip in a part of the brain that controls

01:07 the intention to move, and that their initial goal is to enable people to control a computer

01:12 cursor or keyboard with their thoughts alone.

01:16 Musk said on X that Neuralink's first product would be called Telepathy, and that quote

01:20 "initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs."

01:25 Musk has said its chips could one day be used to treat conditions like obesity, autism,

01:30 depression and schizophrenia.

01:32 Neuralink did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further details.

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