Technology company Neuralink has implanted its brain-computer interface Telepathy in a human patient for the first time as part of a clinical trial, founder Elon Musk has announced.
The brain chip, which Musk has dubbed Telepathy, was designed to allow users to control a phone or computer using only their thoughts.
The first subject, who was fitted with the brain-computer interface (BCI) on Sunday, is recovering well, Musk announced on X (formerly Twitter).
The trial was greenlit by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last May and began recruiting for in-human clinical trials in September. It will focus on people with quadriplegia ? the paralysis of all four limbs ? and other types of limited mobility.
Neuralink is trialling its brain implant and surgical robot (above) on humans "Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs," Musk wrote on X. "Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal."
The Prime Study, which stands for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface, was designed to evaluate the safety of both the Telepathy implant and the accompanying surgical robot.
Neuralink founder Elon Musk announced the news on X
Neuralink designed the robot to place the implant's "ultra-fine and flexible threads" ? each thinner than a human hair and together housing more than 1,000 electrodes ? in the part of the brain that controls a person's intent to move.
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