The goal will be to link human brains to computers. The company is planning to test the technology on individuals with paralysis.
Apparently, a robot will be assigned the task of implanting a BCI to human brain, that will allow the subjects to take control of a computer cursor, or type using only their thoughts.
However, rival companies have already achieved the feet by implanting BCI devices in human.
Neuralink’s clinical trial has been approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May, achieving an important milestone, taking into consideration the struggle it had faced to gain approval for the same.
In regards to this, Neuralink stated at the time that the FDA approval represented "an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people."
While the final number of people recruited has not yet been confirmed, according to a report by new agency Reuters, the company had sought FDA’s approval to implant the devices in 10 people ( their former or current employees)./ Brain Signals/ The six year study will commence following a surgery, where a robot will implant 64 flexible threads, thinner than a human hair, on a region of the brain that managed "movement intention."
These enable Neuralink's experimental N1 implant, which runs on a remotely rechargeable battery, to record and transmit brain impulses to an app that decodes a person's intended movement.
Neuralink informs that people are eligible for the trial in case they have quadriplegia resulting from an injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a disease in which the nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain degenerates.
Precision Neuroscience, developed by a Neuralink co-founder, also aims at assisting those who are paralyzed. And it claims that its implant, which resembles a very thin piece of tape and rests on the surface of the brain, may be inserted via a "cranial micro-slit" in a less complicated manner.
Meanwhile, existing technology is producing results. Implants have been used in two different studies conducted in the US, that aimed to track brain activity during speech attempts, which might later be decoded to aid with communication.
While Mr. Musk’s involvement has played a major role in the raised popularity of Neuralink, he still face rivals, some of whom have a history going back almost two decades. In 2004, Blackrock Neurotech, a company based in Utah, implanted the first of several BCIs.
According to Dr Adrien Rapeaux, a research associate in the Neural Interfaces Lab at Imperial College London, "Neuralink no doubt has an advantage in terms of implantation," taking into account that a majority of its operations will be assisted robotically.
On contrary, Dr. Rapeaux, co-founder of a neural implant start-up Mintneuro, says that he is not sure how Neuralink’s attempt of converting brain signals into useful actions will do any better than the methods earlier used by Blackrock Neurotech for example. He also doubts if the technology will remain accurate and reliable over time, which is "a known issue in the field."
