Elon Musk begins human trials of the Neuralink neurochip
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The American company Neuralink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has started recruiting volunteers to test the treatment device of the same name. Neuralink is a microchip that is implanted directly into the brain. People who are paralyzed due to trauma or neurological diseases can take part in research. If the tests are successful, they will be able to move again.
The Neuralink microcomputer is about the size of a coin. It contains more than 3,000 electrodes, is connected to the brain by wires, each of which is 10 times thinner than a human hair, and can control about a thousand neurons.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neuralink trials in May. Completely paralyzed volunteers are invited to participate in the program. Received a microcomputer, they will have to be under supervision for six years. After that, it will be possible to draw conclusions about the efficiency and safety of the technology. If the tests are successful, the technology can be approved for mass use.
Previously, Musk’s company demonstrated the results of implanting Neuralink into the brains of experimental animals: pigs and monkeys. In pigs, the chip controlled the nerves responsible for leg movements and heel sensitivity. He allowed monkeys to play video games “by the power of thought.”
Elon Musk himself sees wide prospects for the use of neurochips. In his opinion, many diseases can be cured in this way: from blindness to alcohol addiction. Also, he believes, there are non-medical areas of application of chips: Neuralink will be able to communicate with an application in a smartphone, they will allow a person to drive a “smart” car without touching the steering wheel, access the Internet or play computer games directly “from the head”.
Critics of the program draw attention to the fact that any foreign body in the brain is a risk of infection and inflammation. In addition, the consequences are unknown if the microcomputer breaks down. In addition, during the development of the Neuralink chip, the company had to repeatedly report the death of test animals during tests.
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