Musk's Neuralink says cleared for human test of brain implants

Elon Musk's startup Neuralink is developing a way to connect the brain directly with computers.

Neuralink says FDA approval for its first clinical study in humans is "an important step" for their technology. It is designed to allow brains to interface directly with computers.

Neuralink posted on Musk's site that they were "excited" to announce the FDA had approved their first-inhuman clinical study.

According to Neuralink, the recruitment for a clinical study is not open yet.

Musk stated that the company's presentation in December was a way to directly communicate with computers.

He said, "We have been working very hard to prepare for our first (human) implant. We want to make sure that the device will work before we put it in a person."

Demonstrations by the startup revealed that Neuralink prototypes the size of coins were implanted into the skulls monkeys.

Neuralink demonstrated several monkeys using their Neuralink implants to "play" simple video games or move a cursor across a screen.

Pigs have also been used to test the technology.

An early demonstration demonstrated that a Neuralink disc is strategically placed in the brain using a surgical robot.

Musk claims that the disk records nerve activity and transmits it via Bluetooth wireless to a device like a smartphone.

Musk stated during an earlier presentation that "it actually fits quite well in your skull."

You might not even know that it's there.

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Musk said that the company will try to use these implants to restore mobility and vision to humans who have lost such abilities.

He said: "We could enable someone with almost no muscle control to use their phone quicker than someone with working hands."

He said that, "as amazing as it sounds, we're confident it is possible to restore the full functionality of a person who has had their spinal cord severed."

Musk said that his ultimate goal was to prevent artificial intelligence from overwhelming humans intellectually.

Synchron is another company that has developed similar systems. In July, it announced the implanting of the first brain-machine interfaces in the United States.

The Neuralink team has shared their "wish list," which includes everything from telepathy to uploading memories to later use or to replace bodies.

Musk has also recently set up a company devoted to the development of sophisticated AI. Tesla's boss has predicted that the autonomous driving technology will be a breakthrough at the electric vehicle maker.

Musk said that synchronizing minds with machines was vital to prevent people from being outpaced by AI. Under the best circumstances, humans could be likened to "house cats."

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