Neuralink received FDA approval to conduct clinical trials of neurochips

Elon Musk’s technology company Neuralink, which is engaged in direct brain-to-computer communication projects, has received permission to conduct clinical trials.

“We are pleased to announce that we have received FDA (Food and Drug Administration) clearance to launch our first human clinical trial,” Neuralink said on Twitter on Friday, May 26.

The company noted that the recruitment of those wishing to participate in the first clinical trials has not yet begun, additional information will be made public in the near future.

In early March, Reuters, citing current and former Neuralink employees, reported that the FDA denied Musk and his company a request to test the chips on humans. The agency then outlined dozens of problems that the company must solve before conducting experiments, recalls DW.

Neuralink is Musk’s company to develop a neurochip that will allow brain signals to be transmitted via Bluetooth. Thus, with its help it will be possible to directly control a computer or smartphone. It is assumed that the receiver capsule will be attached behind the ear, like a hearing aid. Filamentous electrodes will go from it to the brain. In total, up to 1,500 electrodes are implanted into the brain, each of which is four times thinner than a human hair.

The Neuralink project, which started in 2017, sought permission from the FDA to conduct clinical trials in humans, including the ability to implant electrodes in the brain of paralyzed people, which would allow it to be combined with a computer.