DAILY STAR
Human trials of a controversial brain implant technology are set to go ahead, after Elon Musk‘s company Neuralink received government approval to begin human testing.
The firm, which is building brain interfaces that allow humans to hook their minds up to a computer, said it had been cleared by the FDA to start trials of the technology on humans.
This is despite earlier trials allegedly leading to the death of hundreds of animals, including six monkeys.
Neuralink says it hasn’t started recruiting for human trials yet but that the decision ‘represents an important first step’ in their plans to ‘help many people’ with the technology.
Neuralink’s devices are designed to be implanted on the human brain to enable people to interact with technology using the power of thought.
Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, hopes that the implants could be a lifeline to people with disabilities and help treat a range of mental and physical health issues.
Approval for human trials was previously denied by US safety regulators at the FDA, as they said Neuralink needed to address some safety issues including the possibility of the implant’s wires ‘migrating’ inside the brain.
