Elon Musk’s Neuralink to start human trials; Want to apply to get a brain chip implant? Here is how to

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Elon Musk's Neuralink is getting ready to ‘mess' with people's heads - literally! The neurotechnology company received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a few months ago and began recruiting volunteers for a groundbreaking procedure in September. However, this also coincided with a troublesome Wired report which raised questions over the nature of the death of Neuralink's test monkeys. Amidst the controversy, the company has reportedly received interest from thousands of applicants. Here's all about the procedure.

For a study, called ‘PRIME Study', which is expected to last 6 years, the company is recruiting test subjects. As per reports, Neuralink is building a 4mm-square chipset, called N1, which is meant to be implanted into the inside of the skull. The chip has extremely thin wires attached to it that reach into the brain. The wires can receive and detect brain signals that are relayed between neurons, and they can generate their own impulse as well, which imitates that of the neurons. According to the company, the N1 chip can connect with 1000 different brain cells. A patient can have up to 10 chips implanted, the company claims.

These brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are claimed by Neuralink to help patients with neurological disorders that are caused by the inability of the brain to connect to the nerves of a body part. These can be limbs, ears, eyes, tongue, and more. This can also help people suffering from conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, and quadriplegia.

To qualify for the study, there is a condition. Neuralink's patient registry application states that the volunteers must suffer from one of the following conditions: quadriplegia, paraplegia, visual