Neuralink, the brain-implant tech company spearheaded by Elon Musk, is casting a global net in its search for patients to test its groundbreaking device that enables thoughts to control a computer. The company is particularly interested in enlisting individuals with quadriplegia, who have lost the use of both their arms and legs, for its clinical trial, according to an April 2 post on X, Musk’s social media platform.
By January, Neuralink had already successfully implanted their device in three quadriplegic patients. These individuals are currently testing a small brain implant, as part of the PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) study, which records neural activity to control a computer or smartphone.
Neuralink is among various companies and academic institutions globally that are exploring and testing brain-computer interfaces. These range from small wire-like implants used in clinical trials to non-invasive devices that resemble a hat.
The PRIME study, as described on Neuralink’s website, will span approximately six years and targets quadriplegics with a spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to use their thoughts to control a computer. Musk, who also heads Tesla and is the Trump administration’s cost-cutting czar, envisions Neuralink as more than a tool for thought-controlled computing. He aims to “provide individuals with superpowers.”
Neuralink’s pioneer patient, Noland Arbaugh, reported zero side effects, either physical or psychological, a year after receiving his brain implant. Arbaugh, a quadriplegic, showcased his brain chip’s capabilities by controlling a computer cursor to play chess and surf the internet. He now uses his brain chip “for a wide variety of tasks” and estimates that he uses it for more than 10 hours daily.
Arbaugh revealed that Neuralink’s researchers are “working on controlling a wheelchair with the implant,” but he won’t use it “unless it’s nearly perfect. It benefits everyone if I don’t lose control and crash into traffic.” With the help of Neuralink’s implant, Arbaugh has secured employment as a traveling keynote speaker, which allows him to write, research, and communicate online. “The hope and purpose this technology has given me are immeasurable,” he noted. “It won’t be long before the implant is used by dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of people.”
