Elon Musk’s company implanted the first chip in the human brain: first details

Subject is recovering well after surgery

Elon Musk says his company Neuralink has implanted the first brain chip in a human. The billionaire’s startup will study the functionality of an interface that it says allows paralyzed people to control devices with their thoughts.

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Neuralink, said on Twitter/X on Monday that the first person received a brain chip implant from his startup on Sunday and is recovering well from the procedure.

According to The Guardian, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year gave Musk’s company permission to conduct the first human trial of its implant.

“Initial results show promising detection of neural spiking,” added Elon Musk.

Bursts are the activity of neurons, which the National Institutes of Health describes as cells that use electrical and chemical signals to transmit information throughout the brain and body, The Guardian explains.

The startup’s main research is testing a wireless brain-computer interface to evaluate the safety of an implant and a surgical robot.

The study will evaluate the functionality of an interface that allows people with quadriplegia, or paralysis of all four limbs, to control devices using their thoughts, according to the company’s website.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Neuralink had been fined for violating US Department of Transportation (DoT) regulations regarding the movement of hazardous materials.

During inspections of the company’s facilities in Texas and California in February 2023, U.S. Department of Transportation investigators discovered that the company had not registered itself as a carrier of hazardous materials, according to agency reports. They also found improper packaging of hazardous waste, including the flammable liquid xylene. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, xylene can cause headaches, dizziness, confusion, loss of muscle coordination and even death.

Last year, Neuralink received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct the company’s first human trial of the implant, marking a major milestone for the startup. In June, Reuters reported that the company was valued at $5 billion based on private exchange trading.

Neuralink announced it was testing the implant in September. In the study, a robot developed by the company will surgically place “ultra-thin” implant threads that help transmit signals to participants’ brains, the company said.