Musk’s Neuralink has moved one step closer to human trials
Elon Musk claimed on Wednesday that a remote device developed by his company, Neuralink, which specializes in brain-computer interfaces, is expected to begin human clinical trials in around six months. The company is developing mind-chip interfaces that, according to its claims, might allow patients who are unable to move or speak to do so again. Neuralink, based in Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area, has recently begun doing animal experiments while it seeks U.S. administrative approval to begin human clinical trials.
“We need to be very cautious and sure that it will function admirably prior to placing a gadget into a human, yet we’ve submitted what I consider most of our desk work to the FDA, and likely in around a half year we ought to have the option to transfer Neuralink into a human,” Musk said during a much-anticipated public update on the gadget.
The event was originally scheduled for October 31, but Musk postponed it just days before without providing a reason. Over a year ago, Neuralink presented a monkey with a mind chip that used his thoughts to play a computer game.
Musk is mentioned in relation to lofty goals like saving humanity and populating Mars. The scope of his fantasies for Neuralink, which he sent off in 2016, is identical. He must create a chip that allows the mind to control sophisticated electronic devices, allowing paralyzed people to regain their ability to move and treating brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. He also touches on the idea of fusing the brain with artificial awareness. However, Neuralink is experiencing bottlenecks. Musk stated at a 2019 performance that he anticipated receiving administrative approval near the end of 2020. Then, in late 2021, he expressed his desire to start human preliminary work this year at a gathering.
Current and former employees claim that Neuralink has repeatedly missed deadlines for obtaining FDA approval to start human preliminary testing. Musk recently approached rival Synchron about a potential rumor after expressing his displeasure to Neuralink representatives about their slow progress, according to a report from Reuters in August. Intriguingly, Synchron achieved a crucial milestone in July when it successfully implanted its device in a patient in the US. In 2021, it will be able to do preliminary tests on people in the US on its own, and it has already done tests on four people in Australia.