Elon Musk expects a wireless brain chip developed by his company Neuralink to begin human clinical trials in six months.
Neuralink is developing brain chip interfaces that could help disabled patients to move and communicate again. The chip could also help restore vision.
Neuralink has already been conducting tests on animals as it seeks approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin clinical trials on people.
Musk wants to develop a chip that would allow the brain to control complex electronic devices and eventually allow people with paralysis to regain motor function and treat brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s. He also talks about melding the brain with artificial intelligence.
Neuralink, however, is running behind schedule. Musk said in a 2019 presentation he was aiming to receive regulatory approval by the end of 2020. He then said at a conference in late 2021 that he hoped to start human trials this year.
The company’s last public presentation involved a monkey with a brain chip that played a computer game by thinking alone.
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