Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company, is looking for patients to study a chip that lets people use their thoughts to control computers and a surgical robot. People from around the world can now apply to participate.
Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company, is looking for patients to study a chip that lets people use their thoughts to control computers and a surgical robot. People from around the world can now apply to participate.
Neuralink is interested in patients with quadriplegia, when paralysis affects both arms and legs, and sometimes also the facial muscles and torso. You can apply on the company’s website.
«The PRIME study — an exploratory medical trial of our fully implantable wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) — aims to assess the safety of our implant and surgical robot, as well as evaluate the initial functionality of our BCI, which allows people with quadriplegia to control external devices with the power of thought», — Neuralink said in a statement.
This research involves placing a small, «cosmetically invisible» implant in the area of the brain responsible for planning movements. The device is designed to interpret a person’s neural activity, so they can control a computer or smartphone mentally without any wires or physical movements required.
«If you have limited or no use of both hands due to a cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, you may be eligible to participate in the study,» the company said.
Neuralink added that they have already implanted the device in three patients.
In the fall, the company announced that it was exploring a new application for brain chips — controlling a robotic arm. Previous studies have used clunky devices that required a cable to run from a subject’s head to a computer that decodes brain signals. Unlike those, Neuralink’s system is wireless.
Earlier, Nolan Arbo, who became the first person to receive a brain chip developed by Elon Musk’s company Neuralink, said that he named the device «Eve» and uses it for self-improvement.
