The first human patient received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink on Sunday and is recovering well, the company's billionaire founder Elon Musk said. - REUTERS
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00:00 Elon Musk says his Neuralink brain chip startup has put an implant in a human patient for
00:06 the first time.
00:08 Musk said Sunday that the patient is recovering well, and that quote "initial results show
00:13 promising neuron spike detection."
00:15 Spikes are activity by neurons, which use electrical and chemical signals to send information
00:21 around the brain and to the body.
00:24 It's been a bumpy road for Neuralink to reach this point.
00:27 The company, valued at around $5 billion last June, has faced calls for closer scrutiny
00:31 of its safety protocols.
00:33 Reuters reported earlier this month that the company was fined for violating federal rules
00:38 on the movement of hazardous materials.
00:41 Last November, lawmakers requested an investigation into whether Musk had misled investors about
00:46 the safety of its technology, after veterinary records showed problems with implants on monkeys,
00:52 including paralysis, seizures, and brain swelling.
00:57 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the company to conduct its first human trial
01:01 last year.
01:02 Neuralink says the study uses a robot to surgically place a chip in a part of the brain that controls
01:07 the intention to move, and that their initial goal is to enable people to control a computer
01:12 cursor or keyboard with their thoughts alone.
01:16 Musk said on X that Neuralink's first product would be called Telepathy, and that quote
01:20 "initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs."
01:25 Musk has said its chips could one day be used to treat conditions like obesity, autism,
01:30 depression and schizophrenia.
01:32 Neuralink did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further details.