Elon Musk’s futuristic brain chip startup Neuralink has received federal approval for its first human clinical trial, marking a major milestone for the company with huge ambitions.
The company announced Food and Drug Administration approval on Thursday, saying in a tweet that it “represents an important first step that will one day enable our technology to help many people.”
We are excited to share that we have received FDA approval to conduct our first human clinical study!
This is the result of the Neuralink team’s incredible work in close collaboration with the FDA and is an important first step that will one day allow…
– Neural link (@neuralink) May 25, 2023
Musk has touted Neuralink’s technology to help people with paralysis. The technology involves implanting small chips inside people’s skulls that transmit electrical signals from the brain to a computer.
Neuralink did not disclose the nature of the FDA approval or when a clinical trial will begin. It just says: “Hiring is not yet open for our clinical trial. We will announce more information on this soon!”
Neuralink is catching up with its competitors. A rival company, Synchron, received approval for a similar trial in 2021.
Musk reveals Neuralink to the public in a splendid live stream event in 2020, in which he shows off brain chip-implanted pigs walking on treadmills and rummaging through the barn. He demonstrated the data collected wirelessly from the chips representing the activation of the pig’s neurons and how to use the information to predict the position of the pig’s joints.
But behind the scenes, Musk’s company has been plagued by disagreements and the CEO’s departure, according to earlier Luck Report.
