The biotech company Neuralink, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has opened a call for volunteers for the first clinical trials of neurotechnologies on humans.
Study PRIME on the development of a wireless brain-computer interface is aimed at assessing the safety of the implant and surgical robot.
Neuralink will also test the functionality of a neurochip that allows people with paralysis to control computer devices with the power of thought.
During the tests, a calibrated robot under the control of doctors will install an ultra-thin and flexible implant thread into the part of the brain responsible for movement. The device reads neural impulses and transmits them to a special application.
Neuralink received approval for human testing in May 2023 from the US Food and Drug Administration.
“The initial goal of our implant is to give people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts. […] This is an important step in the mission to create a universal brain interface for the recovery of patients with special medical needs,” the company said in a statement.
People with limb paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may qualify for the program.
Let’s remember that in August Neuralink closed a funding round worth $280 million. The main investor was Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, which supported SpaceX, Stripe, Paxos and other large organizations.
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