Tech billionaire Elon Musk says his company Neuralink is seeking permission to rapidly test its brain implant technology in humans.
In a presentation on Wednesday, Musk said his team was asking US regulators to allow them to test the device in humans. He said the trial could take place in about six months, though that timeline is far from certain.
His company’s efforts are part of the emerging field of brain-computer interface technology, which has already made headway in various fields.
The Neuralink device is about the size of a coin and is designed to be implanted in the skull, with paper-thin wires going directly into the brain. Musk said the first two programs to be tested in humans aim to restore vision and help people who have difficulty getting their muscles to work quickly through the use of digital devices.
Musk also said the device could be implanted in a person with a broken neck, where signals from the brain could be linked to a Neuralink device attached to a section of the spinal cord.
“We believe there are no physical limits to enabling whole-body functions,” said Musk, who recently took over Twitter and is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. [lt/rs]
