Earlier this week, Tesla CEO and co-founder of Neuralink, Elon Musk, had announced on X that the first human has successfully received his long flagship computer-interface implant, adding that the subject was making a proper recovery and initial results of the trial show promising neuron spike detection.
Evidently, a lot of remarkable progress has been made since Neuralink first announced in September of 2023 that it would be receiving trial subjects who were particularly quadriplegics who had suffered injuries to their spine as well as individuals with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Neuralink’s device was designed with the purpose of giving users the ability to control and operate mobile devices such as phones, computers and keyboards using their minds alone, the concept is enabled by linking the human nervous system to computers. Although the implant is not new in the world of scientific innovations as there are over 40 similar devices undergoing similar trials. While other groups have their technologies aimed towards the treatment of severe brain injuries and disorders as well as other medical applications, Musk’s design is targeted towards the opposite, being the first of its kind centered on device/computer control. The coin-sized skull implanted device is attached to the brain by ultra thin wires placed surgically on the part of the brain which controls thought and movement.
Neuralink has declined on providing any information about the human test subject. However critics in the medical and research field have expressed their reservations towards the Neuralink implant. Researcher from Pennsylvania State University, Laura Cabrera, particularly had much to say regarding Neuralink’s implant as she pointed towards the risks of brain hemorrhage and seizures associated with having the implant. Cabrera was of the opinion that people were not fully considering the pros and cons of the device as much as Musk made bold statements about its potential. She advised Neuralink’s competitors to apply their innovations medically alone.