In a recent update on X, Elon Musk, CEO of Neuralink, shared information regarding the first human patient to be implanted with the company’s wireless brain chip. Musk stated that initial results showed promising neuron spike detection, and the patient is reportedly recovering well.

The chip, part of Neuralink’s endeavor to connect human brains to computers, is designed to address complex neurological conditions. Musk mentioned in his post that the product, named ‘Telepathy,’ aims to allow users to control devices such as phones and computers through mental commands.

The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.

Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Neuralink clearance in May 2023 for human trials. The ongoing PRIME Study involves the use of a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface (BCI) implant in a specific region of the brain associated with movement intention.

Neuralink’s technology employs ultra-fine threads to transmit signals within participants’ brains, with the initial objective of enabling individuals to control computer cursors or keyboards through their thoughts via a product that Musk is calling ‘Telepathy’. It should be noted, however, that Neuralink is not the first company to successfully implant such a device – in May last year, Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne (EPFL) gave a paralysed man the ability to walk again simply by thinking about it thanks to electronic brain implants, a medical first he says has changed his life.

The first @Neuralink product is called Telepathy

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024

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Enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.

Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs.

Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 30, 2024

However, amidst the announcement, concerns have been raised about Neuralink’s safety protocols. Earlier this month, the company faced fines for violating US Department of Transportation rules on the movement of hazardous materials. Additionally, in November 2023, four politicians requested an investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission into potential misleading information about the safety of Neuralink’s technology.