Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-machine interface company, shared the latest progress in its brain implant technology on Wednesday, local time in the United States. Elon Musk said at the event that he plans to implant the device in his own brain.
Elon Musk said the company currently has three main projects: the first two are designed to help restore vision, even to people born blind, and the third focuses on the motor cortex to restore “whole-body function” to people with spinal cord injuries. Elon Musk said, “We believe that there will no longer be any physical limitations to restoring whole-body function.”
Neuralink could begin testing the motor cortex technology on humans as soon as six months, Elon Musk said. He said, “Obviously, we want to be very careful and make sure it works well before we implant the device into the body. But we’ve already submitted most of the paperwork to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
Elon Musk said he plans to implant the brain-machine interface device in his own brain. He said, “There could be implantable Neuralink devices out there right now and you wouldn’t even know it. Of course, I’m assuming. In fact, I would have the device implanted myself.” After the technology demonstration, Elon Musk reiterated this point on Twitter.
Chen Xing, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said Elon Musk’s statement Wednesday is questionable because Neuralink’s device has not been tested on humans or approved by the FDA.
She added, “Neuralink is a company that is not accountable to shareholders, and I don’t know how much oversight that involves, but I think the public must always keep in mind that all statements need to be scrutinized before the FDA or any government regulator approves anything.”
Neuralink was founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and a number of scientists and engineers to develop brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, which connects the human brain to computers that can decipher neural signals.
Elon Musk has invested a significant amount of his personal fortune in the company and has said, without hard evidence, that Neuralink’s devices could enable “superhuman cognition,” including enabling paralyzed people to use their brains to operate smartphones or robotic limbs, and help treat autism and schizophrenia.
Neuralink’s demonstration Wednesday underscored these ambitions as Elon Musk claimed, “While these may sound like miracles, we believe it is possible to restore full-body function to patients with spinal cord injuries.”
Elon Musk showed footage of monkeys with computer chips implanted in their skulls playing “telepathic video games. He said at the time that he wanted to implant Neuralink chips into quadriplegic patients with brain or spinal injuries so they could “control a computer mouse, and phone or any device through their minds.
However, Neuralink has come under fire for allegedly using monkeys for testing. On Wednesday, the Committee for Responsible Medicine called on Elon Musk to release details of experiments on monkeys that led to internal bleeding, paralysis, chronic infections, seizures, reduced mental health and even death.
Anna Wexle, an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, said Neuralink’s flashy demonstration is not common among companies in the medical device field. Encouraging people with severe disabilities to get their hopes up raises big risks, she said, especially if they could be injured when the device is implanted in surgery.
Wexler encourages people to be skeptical of Neuralink’s technology. From an ethical standpoint, I think the hype is very concerning,” she said. Space exploration or acquiring Twitter is one thing, but when you get into the medical field, the stakes are higher.”
Xing Chen, who specializes in brain-computer interface technology, said Neuralink’s implant would require subjects to undergo a more invasive procedure. Doctors would need to make a large hole in the skull to insert the device into brain tissue. Even so, she thinks some people will be willing to take that risk.
Neuralink isn’t the only company trying to innovate with BCI. Many companies have made great strides in recent years. blackrock Neurotech is expected to bring its BCI system to market next year, making it the first company in history to commercialize BCI technology. synchron received FDA approval in 2021 to begin clinical trials for permanently implanted BCIs. ParadRomics is reportedly preparing to begin human testing in 2023.
