Musk-founded Neurolink company is calling for human patients to test brain implants

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The American neurotechnology company Neurolink announced Wednesday it is calling for people suffering with mobility diseases to test brain implants designed to allow the mind to control computers and potentially treat neurological disorders, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.

Founded by Elon Musk in 2016, Neurolink said it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin its first-in-human clinical study for its technology.

During a Neurolink presentation in December, Musk said that the company aims to produce implants for human brains to communicate directly with computers, and thus help to restore vision and mobility to patients who qualify.

“We would initially enable someone who has almost no ability to operate their muscles… and enable them to operate their phone faster than someone who has working hands,” Musk asserted. “As miraculous as it may sound, we are confident that it is possible to restore full body functionality to someone who has a severed spinal cord,” he said.

In a statement on the X social media platform formally known as Twitter, Neurolink added: “If you have quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), you may qualify,” it said.

However, Musk said his goal beyond potentially treating neurological diseases is to ensure people are not intellectually overwhelmed by artificial intelligence (AI), TOI reports. Musk is also considering the use of implant technology to store memories or to enable humans to exist without their bodies, TOI said.

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