Neuralink’s debut human subject can control a cursor with their mind, per Musk.

Elon Musk, the founder of Neuralink, announced that the first human patient who was implanted with a brain chip from Neuralink last month has fully recovered. The patient is now capable of controlling a computer mouse using their thoughts. During a Spaces event on social media platform X, Musk stated that the patient seems to have made a full recovery with neural effects that they are aware of. Musk further added that the patient can move a mouse around the screen by just thinking, and now the company is trying to get as many mouse button clicks as possible from the patient.

In September, Neuralink received approval for human trial recruitment, and in January, Musk announced that his firm had successfully implanted a chip in its first human patient. The company was searching for individuals with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Neuralink’s study uses a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface implant in a region of the brain that controls the intention to move. The initial goal is to enable people to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts. Musk has grand ambitions for Neuralink, hoping the device will facilitate speedy surgical insertions of its chip devices to treat conditions like obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.

Neuralink wants to help paralyzed people operate phones and PCs using only their thoughts. Eventually, Musk says his device could help people with hearing and vision loss, and he hopes that the implant could allow for futuristic goals such as helping humans merge with artificial intelligence.

Neuralink, which was valued at about $5 billion last year, has faced repeated calls for scrutiny regarding its safety protocols. Typically, this kind of study enrols 5-10 patients and lasts up to a year. The next step is a feasibility study and then a pivotal study, which is roughly analogous to a Phase III study for a drug. If all goes well, it will likely take between five years and a decade before commercialization.

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