Neuralink's Brain Chip Approved For Human Tests

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Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain chip company, can now try out its implants on people in the US. The company got the green light from regulators.

Neuralink creates skull implants for brain-computer connection. They say it can help blind people see again. It can also help paralysed people walk once more.

Mr. Musk said the company is ready for human experiments to treat paralysis and blindness since 2019. But the FDA rejected their proposals to start clinical trials.

Neuralink wanted to do human testing in early 2022. But the FDA said no. There were "dozens of issues" that Neuralink needs to fix first.

The FDA warned about the use of lithium batteries in Neuralink's device. They also raised concerns about the implant's wires possibly interfering with the brain.

The government agency is worried if the implants from the company can be removed without harming the brain.

Neuralink is being reviewed by the US government for how it treated research monkeys. An animal rights group claims the company didn't take proper care of the animals.

According to Reuters, the brain chip company killed around 1,500 animals. This includes over 280 sheep, pigs, and monkeys since 2018.

The US Department of Agriculture looked into Neuralink. They wanted to see if they broke the Animal Welfare Act.

The company wrote a blog post about animal abuse complaints. They said they want to work with animals humanely and ethically.

They carefully planned and considered how to use every animal. They wanted to balance scientific discovery with ethical use. This was stated in the blog section.

Last November Mr. Musk tweeted that Neuralink's device was ready for human use. He also mentioned that starting human trials was dependent on getting FDA approval.

He wants to be careful before putting a device into a human. They submitted most of their paperwork to the FDA. He thinks they can upload Neuralink in a human in about six months. The speaker is the chief of Tesla and SpaceX.

The company got approval to start testing on people. This happened on Thursday.

The company making brain chips got the FDA's approval for a clinical study. They are happy to share this news.

Neuralink said the FDA approval is an important first step. Their technology will help many people in the future. They will share more information on recruiting people for clinical trials soon.

The Independent asked the FDA about Neuralink approval. The FDA did not respond right away.