Elon Musk’s brain-chip startup Neuralink has received federal approval for its first human clinical trial, marking a milestone for the company with huge ambitions.
The company announced the FDA approval on Thursday, saying in a tweet that it “represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many more people.”
We are excited to share that we have received FDA approval to launch our first human clinical study!
This is the result of the incredible work that the Neuralink team has done in close collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration and represents an important first step that will one day allow us…
– Neuralink May 25, 2023
Musk has used Neuralink technology as a potential aid for people with paralysis. This technology involves implanting small chips inside people’s skulls to transmit electrical signals from the brain to a computer.
Neuralink has not disclosed the nature of the FDA approval or when the clinical trial will begin. He just said, “Recruitment is not yet open for our clinical trials. We will be announcing more information on this soon!”
Neuralink is playing catch-up. Rival Synchron won approval for a similar trial in 2021.
Musk unveiled Neuralink to the public during a live event in 2020, during which he showed pigs with implanted brain chips walking on a treadmill and running around in a pen. Showing data collected wirelessly from the chips that represent the firing of pig neurons and how the information can be used to predict the position of the pig’s joints.
But behind the scenes, Musk’s company has been bogged down by controversies and executive departures, as previously reported luck reports.
