elon musk's neuralink receives FDA approval to implant & test brain-reading device in people

FDA approves Injecting threads into brain’s neurons

Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink has received its go signal from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test and implant its AI brain-reading wearable device to people for its first-in-human clinical study. In a Twitter post, the Neuralink team states that the news comes through as the result of incredible work by its team in close collaboration with the FDA and that it ‘represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people.’

Recruitment is not yet open for our clinical trial, but the company says that it is ‘currently focused on giving people with quadriplegia the ability to control their computers and mobile devices with their thoughts.’ Neuralink, which was unveiled in 2019 here, is working on developing brain-computer interface (BCI) technology presently named ‘N1 Implant’ on its website that may allow people to control and communicate with computers.

So far, the team has already conducted experiments on animals, like a monkey playing here, and created and showcased prototypes that resemble somewhere between a wireless earphone and a mini-hearing aid. Neuralink is invested in making interfaces that might be able to enhance human capabilities and treat neurological conditions using artificial intelligence and by inserting electrodes-fueled threads into the brain’s neurons.

images courtesy of Neuralink

Elon musk’s neuralink to unlock unmet medical needs

Neuralink’s mission states that it aims to ‘create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.’ Aside from downloadable language to have universal communication, the brain-reading device can also be installed into machines, such as his surgical robot.

N1 Implant is based on a brain-computer interface that is fully implantable, cosmetically invisible, and designed to let users control a computer or mobile device anywhere they go. The device is enclosed with a biocompatible case that can handle ‘physiological conditions several times harsher than those in the human body,’ as the design team claims.

it also has a dedicated app to record the neural signals

making minds command tech approved by fda

Neuralink is set to install advanced, low-power chips and electronics process neural signals into the device that can transmit information from the brain to the dedicated app to enable decoding of the gathered data from the brain. It can then help assess the controls the user wants to happen as the chips read the signals coming from the neurons, and with the FDA’s approval, the device’s hopeful effectiveness can be recorded.

The implant has 1,024 electrodes distributed across 64 threads that record the brain activities, and the flexible, ultra-thin threads, as the company claims, minimize damage during implantation. The wearable device, planted on the back of a person’s ear to read the signals injected into the person’s neural nerve cells, is equipped with a small battery and with wireless charging to allow the user to bring and charge it anywhere.

prototype of N1 Implant