On February 20, billionaire Elon Musk announced that the Neuralink company’s brain chip implant was successful, the patient fully recovered and could control a computer mouse with his mind. However, the commercialization of this technology is still far away.
Legal barriers
In 2019, Elon Musk announced that Neuralink would apply to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a license to perform chip implantation by the end of 2020. However, by 2021, Mr. Musk said Neuralink was working to ensure implant safety and still working closely with the FDA.
According to Reuters, some Neuralink employees and former employees revealed that it was not until 2022 that the company began submitting applications to the FDA but was rejected multiple times. It was not until May 2023 that the FDA approved Elon Musk’s plan to implant a chip in the human brain.
Tested on animals
Billionaire Elon Musk has always insisted that no monkey has died in pain due to Neuralink’s chip implant and that the company only selects dying monkeys to reduce risks. However, based on documents published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the monkeys here were euthanized after experiencing various complications, including bloody diarrhea and paralysis. partial and cerebral edema.
According to Wired, from 2017 to 2020, the company implanted brain chips into 23 monkeys, causing 15 of them to die. In 2022, PCRM sent a complaint to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), accusing Neuralink of violating the Animal Welfare Act and mistreating monkeys during testing. In addition, Neuralink was also investigated by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) for illegally transporting contaminated materials extracted from monkey brains
Potential
Mr. Elon Musk has repeatedly expressed his belief that Neuralink’s technology will “revolutionize” the medical industry. He said this special chip can treat many diseases such as obesity, depression, autism, schizophrenia… In addition to helping people with total body paralysis regain the ability to move their whole body. Specifically, Neuralink also aims to enhance human intelligence through linking with artificial intelligence (AI) systems, thereby preventing the risk of AI wiping out humanity.
In September 2023, Neuralink announced it was looking for volunteers under 40 years old, with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL) to perform chip implantation. The post quickly attracted thousands of people to sign up to participate in the clinical trial. According to Forbes, the process is expected to last 6 years, including 9 in-home and in-person visits within the first 18 months, followed by 20 visits spread over 5 years to monitor the condition.
The company plans to perform surgery on 10 more people in 2024 and targets 22,000 people by 2030.