Elon Musk discloses remarkable feat accomplished by first human Neuralink patient
- The first Neuralink patient is doing well
- And it seems the implanted chip is doing what it was meant to do
- They’re controlling tech with their mind
Published on Feb 20, 2024 at 9:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 21, 2024 at 1:15 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Adam Gray
Elon Musk has updated us on his first Neuralink patient – and what they’re achieving post-op is pretty incredible.
Aside from thankfully making a “full recovery”, Elon Musk has let us know some additional nuggets of info as he spoke on a Spaces event on X.
The patient is able to move a “mouse around the screen just by thinking” after being the first human to have a Neuralink chip implanted in their brain.
READ MORE! Elon Musk says Neuralink has implanted its first brain chip in a human
The high-risk and groundbreaking procedure happened for the first time last month.
The CEO spoke on his social media platform saying that the patient “seems to have made a full recovery”.
“Progress is good and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with neural effects that we are aware of,” he said.
Musk revealed that the next steps for the Neuralink are to get as many mouse button presses as possible from their patient.
“That’s what we’re currently working on,” Musk explained.
“Can you get left mouse, right mouse, mouse down, mouse up.”
Essentially the aim is to be able to click and drag something and gradually add new buttons, he summarized.
The ‘Telepathy’ chip was granted approval for human trial in September – and the search for an anonymous patient began.
Neuralink’s tech used a robot to surgically put a brain-computer interface implant into the brain.
First the robot removes a small chunk of the skull.
Then the chip is stitched into the region of the brain that controls the intention to move using tiny flexible thread-like electrodes.
Musk previously explained that the procedure lasts only 30 minutes, does not require general anaesthesia, and patients return home on the same day.
Neuralink’s initial goal is to let people control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts.
That enables them to communicate wirelessly.
Musk compared it to “replacing a piece of the skull with a smartwatch”.
More importantly, it could also help paralysed people walk again and cure other neurological conditions.
In a post on X, Musk explained that the device “enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device just by thinking”.
“Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs,” he said.
“Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or an auctioneer. That is the goal.”
Neuralink was valued at about $5 billion last year – making it Musk’s least valuable company.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
