Billionaire Elon Musk has announced that his tech startup Neuralink has successfully implanted the brain chip in a human and the recipient is recovering well. In a post on X, which Musk bought in 2022, the billionaire also informed the brain chip is called ‘Telepathy’. He said that this brain chip will help the recipient to control gadgets around him or her just by thinking. He also said that the early beneficiaries of the brain chip are those who have lost the use of their limbs. To put the development in context, Musk cited the example of Stephen Hawking.
According to Musk, early results show a significant surge in neuron spikes. This means that the recipient’s brain has shown a marked increase in the nerve impulses. In May last year, US FDA had given a green signal to Musk’s company for using humans for brain chip implants.
In June of last year, the company had an estimated value of around $5 billion. However, in late November, four lawmakers urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission to look into allegations that Elon Musk had potentially misled investors regarding the safety of the technology. This request followed the revelation of issues in veterinary records related to Neuralink’s implants in monkeys, including instances of paralysis, seizures, and brain swelling.
On September 10, Musk addressed the concerns in a social media post, asserting that “no monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant.” He further explained that the company intentionally chose “terminal” monkeys as subjects to minimize risks to healthier ones.
Neuralink’s rival
While Neuralink has been in news thanks to Musk’s involvement, there are many players in the field of brain chip implants, who have been working in this direction for past twenty years. Blackrock Neurotech, Utah-based tech startup, is said to have implanted its first of many brain-computer interfaces way back in 2004.
