Famous tech billionaire Elon Musk announced the full recovery of the first person to be implanted with a Neuralink brain chip.
The first human patient implanted with a Neuralink brain chip appears to have made a full recovery and can control a computer mouse using his thoughts, startup founder Elon Musk said late Monday.
The company successfully implanted a chip in its first human patient last month, after receiving approval for human trial recruitment in September.
The study uses a robot to surgically place an implant between the brain and the computer in a part of the brain that controls the intention to move, Neuralink said. He added that the original goal is to allow people to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts. .
However, not everyone takes this news positively. Speaking to the Daily Star, research director Ryan Merkley expressed concerns about the potential risks associated with using such invasive devices.
He emphasized that the lack of safety information and the possible negative consequences of using Neuralink could pose a serious problem.
“When technology billionaires, with the help of their venture capitalist friends, develop invasive medical devices behind closed doors, without openly disseminating safety information from preclinical or even clinical trials, we should be concerned.”
Merkley also expressed concern that excessive focus on the development of highly invasive medical devices like Neuralink could distract from safer, non-invasive alternatives.
He stressed that due attention should be paid to the ethical aspects and potential risks associated with such technologies.
