Elon Musk’s Brain-Computer Company “Neuralink” Receives FDA Approval to Launch Human Clinical Trials | Gatekeeper
Source: Neuralink
Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink announced on Thursday that it had been granted official approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch the first clinical study in humans.
“We are excited to share that we have received FDA approval to launch our first human clinical study!” Neuralink write in twitter.
“This is the result of outstanding work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and is an important first step that will one day enable our technology to help many people,” he added.
The company says recruitment has not yet been opened for clinical trials. However, anyone interested in participating in a clinical trial can register their information at Neuralink’s patient registration.
According to the website, “anyone in the United States who is at least 18 years of age and the age of majority in their state, who is able to consent, and who has quadriplegia, paraplegia, vision loss, hearing loss, and/or inability to speak, is invited to participate. in Patient Registration.”
Adds, “If you participate in a Patient Registration and we determine that you are pre-qualified for a future clinical trial, we may contact you to notify you of this trial once it becomes available.”
Neuralink’s goal is to develop a brain-machine interface technology, often referred to as a neural lace, that establishes a direct link between the human brain and an external computer.
The brain implant interface developed by Neuralink involves inserting tiny, flexible electrode threads into the brain. These threads are thinner than human hair and are designed to minimize damage to brain tissue during the implantation process. The thread contains many electrodes that can detect and stimulate nerve activity.
Source: Neuralink
One of the main goals of the Neuralink brain implant interface is to treat neurological conditions such as paralysis, spinal cord injuries and various brain disorders.
WATCH:
We’re building operations simulations for faster iterations and better test coverage. Join us to help develop this ability #techtuesday pic.twitter.com/JHFM5HersL
— Neuralink (@neuralink) March 21, 2023
The company was founded in 2016 and only sought FDA approval in early 2022, at which point the agency denied the application, Reuters reported.
Elon Musk congratulates the Neuralink team on this new development.
Congratulations Neuralink team! https://t.co/AWZGf33UDr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2023
Our surgical robot uses a sophisticated imaging system to detect the brain and insert threads from blood vessels. Here, you can see everything the robot sees while we test the accuracy of each robot’s high-precision camera #techtuesday pic.twitter.com/c5rklTp2m4
— Neuralink (@neuralink) May 23, 2023
Through the development of the Neuralink brain implant interface, Elon Musk envisions a future in which humans can join artificial intelligence, expand human cognitive abilities, and enable more seamless interactions with technology.
While the approval was hailed as an important milestone for Neuralink, critics argue that there are some potential risks and ethical implications associated with the technology.
One of the main concerns that was raised was the issue of privacy and security. Critics argue the brain implant interface involves the transmission and storage of neural data, which raises concerns about unauthorized access, data breaches, or even the potential for manipulation.
On the one hand, I’m really scared of the privacy, security, and inevitable ethical implications of Neuralink.
On the other hand, I want to be able to record my dreams and use MidJourney and Photoshop as plugins to create absolutely any image I can imagine. pic.twitter.com/clVlF34kWl
— 【 . 】 (@Vox_Oculi) May 25, 2023
