Elon Musk's Neuralink seeks patients for first human brain-computer implant trial

Neuralink is looking to test its brain-computer interface on people with paralysis.

Getty Images
4

Elon Musk has his hands quite full with various businesses including X (Twitter), Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink. The latter of which has been steadily developing its brain-computer interface (BCI) in hopes of making advancements in that field. Neuralink is now ready to start testing the technology on humans and is looking for people willing to participate in trials for its brain implants.

Neuralink announced the start of its human trials in a blog post. After receiving the necessary approval from the independent institutional review board, Neuralink will soon start recruiting at its first hospital site for what it’s calling the PRIME Study. Neuralink has bent the rules of acronyms to make PRIME stand for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface. In the blog, the company provided further explanation of what the human BCI trials will entail.

A phone displaying the Neuralink logo laying on a laptop keyboard.

Source: Getty Images

Neuralink is specifically looking to test its BCI on people with paralysis and has said that people with quadriplegia as a result of cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may also qualify. Neuralink states that the upcoming clinical trials are a massive step towards its ultimate goal to “create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs.” For the latest developments at Neuralink, stick with Shacknews.

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

From The Chatty
Hello, Meet Lola