Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has now received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate clinical trials with the implant that will connect brains with computers.
This means that Neuralink can now begin implanting its brain implant in humans and conduct tests on it. Previously, Neuralink has implemented its brain chips in pigs and monkeys. Neuralink is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) with the hope of assisting patients suffering from conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injuries, as well as, in the long term, the ability to download a person’s memories into a robot.
Since Neuralink began testing its implants on animals in 2018, approximately 1,500 animals, including sheep and monkeys, have been euthanized during or after the experiments. As for when Neuralink plans to start testing its implants on humans, there is currently no information available.