Interfacing man and machine, Elon Musk says his Neuralink brain implant now links up with any device that can be controlled by a computer or phone.
In a newly released demo, a paralyzed man with an implanted Neuralink chip is shown feeding himself simply by thinking the command — a milestone Musk describes as “the next step in human–AI symbiosis.”
According to Elon Musk, the “next step” and long-term goal for human–AI symbiosis is to achieve a species-level merger of human brains with artificial intelligence via his company Neuralink’s implantable brain-computer interface devices.
Neuralink
Last month a Neuralink rival achieved FDA approvals to try its own brain interfacing chip on humans – to help them speak.
Are you a quadriplegic?
Neuralink implant
Neuralink has also listed its ongoing clinical trials. You can find them here on their website. They are now recruiting for a PRIME Study – an investigational medical device trial for a fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) – to evaluate the safety of our implant and surgical robot, and assess the initial functionality of our BCI for enabling people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts.
This study involves placing a small, cosmetically invisible implant in a part of the brain that plans movements. The device is designed to interpret a person’s neural activity, so they can operate a computer or smartphone by simply intending to move – no wires or physical movement are required.
“This research may help us find safer, more effective ways to implant and use our BCI to potentially restore and enhance computer control and other capabilities. If you have limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) you may qualify,” Neuralink advertises.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
