Elon Musk’s startup engulfed within brain-computer interface (BCI), Neuralink, has officially received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct some form of “in-human” trials for its brain implant devices.

In early 2022, the FDA denied Neuralink’s attempt to begin human trials over concerns linked to safety, which the company at the time was reportedly working to address. The recent approval suggests that such safety concerns may have diminished, and the company is set to begin in-human trials for its surgically-implanted BCI device.

The device of the technological pioneer, according to its CEO, helps with certain medical and mobility issues, such as those linked to disability as well as many other conditions like epilepsy. Disabled persons, for example, can direct a mouse cursor via eye movement or thought.

Elon Musk has also stated that the device is being developed for the general public use which enables humans to interact with machines and robots via thoughts and ultimately protect the people from being replaced by machines.

Sources:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/neuralink-gets-fda-approval-for-in-human-trials-of-its-brain-computer-interface

https://www.reuters.com/science/elon-musks-neuralink-gets-us-fda-approval-human-clinical-study-brain-implants-2023-05-25/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/neuralink-us-fda-approval-human-trials-1.6856323

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/musks-bid-to-start-neuralink-human-trials-denied-by-fda-in-2022-report-says

https://predictiontechnology.ucla.edu/elon-musk-pigs-and-brain-implants-neuralink-classified-as-a-breakthrough-device-by-the-fda/