OAN’s Abril Elfi
3:52 PM – Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Elon Musk’s start-up, Neuralink, announced that they have begun recruiting individuals for its first human trial to test out the company’s very own brain chip implant.
On Tuesday, the tech mogul’s brain implant company reportedly received approval from an independent review board to start recruiting volunteers for its first clinical trial that “would help people with paralysis, to communicate using their thoughts.”
Neuralink is a company that works on developing a brain-computer interference (BCI) that can reportedly collect and analyze brain signals.
Musk reportedly also stated that the company would create a comprehensive brain computer to assist humans in keeping up with artificial intelligence (AI).
In May, Neuralink received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first human clinical trial, a significant step after previous delays and setbacks.
At the time, Neuralink described the FDA approval as “an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people.”
Neuralink announced in a statement that they are currently seeking patients who have quadriplegia as a result of a vertical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
According to the study brochure, completion will take roughly six years.
Participants will have nine at-home and in-person visits during the first 18 months, followed by 20 follow-up visits spaced over five years, as well as twice weekly research sessions for the rest of the study.
It also stated that participants will have a BCI surgically inserted in a part of the brain that regulates movement using a proprietary robot, with the objective being to allow them to control a computer cursor or a keyboard using only their thoughts and brain power.
The announcement comes months after the company received regulatory approval for a trial.
However, after the company’s initial animal testing proved to be unsuccessful, it is now being investigated after reports claimed that the experiments caused “unnecessary suffering.”
Former staffers described the tests as “hack jobs,” telling reporters that the gadget was inserted in the improper spot in pigs, resulting in their euthanasia.
Several investigations were launched in response to the allegations, including one by the Department of Agriculture into animal mistreatment and another by the Department of Transportation into the mishandling of hazardous chemicals across state lines.
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