Elon Musk's Neuralink Corp. is searching for a volunteer for its revolutionary clinical research, which includes a pioneering brain surgery.
Neuralink seeks a willing candidate for a skull-removal operation, to be followed by a huge robot implanting electrodes and ultra-thin cables into their brain to replace the lost skull part with a quarter-sized computer that will stay there for years, according to Bloomberg. This implant reads and analyzes brain activity and sends it wirelessly to a laptop or tablet.
What Are The Requirements?
Neuralink is seeking a patient under 40 with quadriplegia to further this innovative technology. These chosen people may have the Neuralink implant placed in their premotor cortex's hand knob, which controls hand, wrist, and forearm activities. The experiment aims to prove the gadget can securely capture significant data from this brain area. Neuralink's ambition to convert thoughts into computer instructions hinges on this milestone.
Elon Musk has repeatedly predicted Neuralink's human trials since 2019. The firm sought FDA clearance in 2022, however, due to implant migration and brain tissue damage during device removal, the FDA denied Neuralink's application. The tech mogul said in December that Neuralink had filed most of its paperwork with the FDA, with human testing likely within six months, as per a CNN report.
Neuralink's goals go beyond those of other corporations and research teams that have created implants that enable patients to do simple mental activities. Musk has proposed universal clinics where people might undergo a 15-minute robosurgery to become human-machine hybrids capable of downloading information or transferring ideas into other brains, a science fiction notion.
Neural implants need accuracy; therefore, rushing them to market is not an option. Synchron and Onward have started brain implant studies, giving Neuralink opponents almost a year's head start.
Wireless charging of implants needs to be easy, performant, and safe. Here’s a demonstration of how we stress test our control loops that manage the charger’s output power to wirelessly charge our implant at various distances and angles📈 pic.twitter.com/bdSL1VmxtA
— Neuralink (@neuralink) October 3, 2023
Despite expectations, Neuralink's innovative innovation has received substantial attention, but not always positively. Neuralink has been criticized for promoting the technology, and animal rights organizations have voiced concerns about experimental animals.
Neuralink Controversies
Neuralink has been scrutinized further due to recent developments, including primary research and fraud claims. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which opposes live animal experimentation, has asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission to examine Elon Musk's assertions about Neuralink monkeys' deaths. Musk's remarks on primate fatalities were false and hid implant difficulties, the group claims.
WIRED recently reported on their investigation on available public data and interviews with a former Neuralink employee and a current primate center researcher present a distinct image of Neuralink's animal research. Veterinarian records from the previous year showed horrifying depictions of suffering that up to 12 Neuralink primate participants had experienced, and they all required termination. These documents might establish the foundation for an SEC inquiry into Musk's statements regarding Neuralink, which has faced various government inquiries as it works to release the first commercial brain-computer interface for people.
The SEC oversees privately owned corporations like Neuralink. It hasn't responded to Physicians Committee queries. Neuralink has also been quiet on the issue.
The commission charged Elon Musk with Tesla securities fraud in 2018, citing his social media activities as investor news. Recently filed documents show that Neuralink raised approximately $280 million from outside investors.
