Elon Musk unveils plans to implant micro chips in your BRAIN as trials begin

The company was co-founded by Elon Musk

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George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 23/11/2023

- 13:58

However, the scheme has been scrutinised by US lawmakers

Recruitment has opened for a study which would see implants installed into brains.

Neuralink, which was co-founded by Elon Musk, has opened recruitment for its Precise Robotically Implemented Brain Computer Interface (PRIME) Study.


The study would act as the first clinical trial for the device, which aims help disabled patients to move and communicate again, and also restore vision.

A small device would be placed in the part of the brain that controls movement.

A spokesperson from Neuralink said: "The device is designed to interpret your neural activity so you can operate a computer or smartphone by simply thinking about moving.

"No wires or physical movement required.

"By participating in the PRIME study, you'd be helping to redefine the boundaries of human capability.

"If you've been living with quadriplegia from a spinal cord injury or with ALS, you may qualify for the study."

Elon Musk

Musk and a group of engineers founded the company in 2016

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The company was founded in 2016 by Musk and a group of engineers.

The San Francisco and Austin-based company also aims to cure neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

According to the Neuralink website, the first trials are open for anyone within the United States who is at least 18 years old who is able to consent.

It is aiming to recruit anyone who has quadriplegia, paraplegia, vision loss, hearing loss, the inability to speak, and/or major limb amputation (affecting above or below the elbow and/or above or below the knee), is invited to participate in the Patient Registry.

However, Reuters reports that there has been scrutiny over Neuralink's handling of safety protocols.

Four US lawmakers have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Musk committed securities fraud by allegedly misleading investors.

A letter sent to the SEC said that at least 12 young and healthy monkeys were euthanised "as a direct result of problems with the company's implant."

Musk wrote that "no monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant," in a post on X, which he bought in 2022.

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