Daccanomics
United States regulators have given approval to the Brain-computer interface startup Neuralink to test its brain implants on people.
The company announced on 25 May that it received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first human clinical study of implants intended to let the brain interface directly with computers.
Neuralink made the announcement on Twitter: “We are excited to share that we have received the FDA’s approval to launch our first-in-human clinical study,” The tweet also said that the approval “represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people”.
The startup company is owned by Elon Musk formed in 2016 with the idea of creating devices that connect with the human brain – both receiving information from neurons and transmitting information right back into the brain.
So far, Neuralink prototypes have been implanted in monkey skulls using a surgical robot. The firm came under fire after some of the monkeys in the testing died.
The prototype consists of a shape like a coin with wires attached to one side of it.
