First Neuralink patient makes full recovery, can move PC cursor just by thinking, says Elon Musk

tech.hindustantimes.com:

After months of testing on animals, billionaire Elon Musk's Neuralink has begun to ‘mess' with people's heads - literally! After receiving clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a few months ago, the neurotechnology company carried out its first clinical trial last month, where it implanted a chip inside the skull of a patient. While it is an extremely risky procedure, the recipient has now fully recovered, according to Elon Musk.

Talking on Spaces on X, Elon Musk shed light on the present condition of the first-ever Neuralink patient. Musk said, “Progress is good. [The] patient seems to have made a full recovery with no ill effects that we're aware of.”

For the unaware, the Neuralink experiment is part of the company's PRIME Study which aims to help patients with neurological disorders that are caused by the inability of the brain to connect to the nerves of a body part. The implanted chipset, called N1, 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 imitate that of the neurons.

According to Musk, the patient is currently able to move a mouse cursor around the screen by just thinking of something, which seems straight out of a science-fiction film.

Musk said, “We're trying to get as many button presses as possible from thinking. Can you get left mouse, right mouse, mouse up, and mouse down, which is like of needed if you wanna click and drag something? You need the sort of [these controls].”

While Musk highlighted that the goal is to have much more than just two button presses, “overall, it's looking good”, he added.

According to Musk, this Neuralink experiment aims to primarily help people with paralysis. Over time, it could potentially be used to aid those with vision and hearing impairments. But the ultimate goal? Merging humanity with artificial intelligence (AI), which is something