Entrepreneur Elon Musk said Wednesday (30) that his brain implant startup, Neuralink, could begin human trials in up to six months. The statement was made during a virtual broadcast, where the founder anticipated that one of the first applications of the wireless device will be to restore sight.
Neuralink is one of the companies founded by Musk with the aim of revolutionizing areas of technology, in this case neurotechnology. The idea is to create a chip that is inserted into the human brain to interact with external devices, such as cell phones and computers.
During the presentation, Elon clarified that the project that will be made official in the next six months is aimed at people with disabilities to allow them to move and communicate again. He also believes the tool could help people who have never had vision.
Also according to the entrepreneur, the startup is conducting tests on animals pending authorization from the US regulatory body for human tests. Earlier this year, the company faced a series of allegations of mistreatment of animals that participated in the tests.
CONTINUE AFTER THE PUBLICITY
Initially, the expectation is that Neuralink will start testing chips in 2020, a goal that has been pushed back to 2022 and now next year. With subsequent postponements, Musk explained that he wants to make sure the technology works satisfactorily before he starts applying it to humans.
“We want to be extremely careful and make sure it works well before putting a device into a human. We submit most documents to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), [similar à Anvisa brasileira]and we think probably in about six months we’ll be able to have our first Neuralink in a human being,” said Elon, who now He also owns the social network Twitter..
