Elon Musk’s brain chip company Neuralink says it has received FDA approval for human trials Science and technology news

Elon Musk’s brain chip company Neuralink announced that it has been given the green light to conduct human trials.

Neuralink said in a tweet on Thursday that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “start our first human clinical trial!”

It represents “an important first step that will one day enable our technology to help many people,” it said.

The company did not disclose the study’s goals or when the studies would begin, but said it was not recruiting yet.

Mr Muskwho last year claimed the devices are so safe he’d like to use his children as guinea pigs, hopes they’ll one day help the disease obesityautism, depression and schizophrenia, as well as enabling internet surfing and telepathy.

The billionaire said Neuralink will begin human trials at least four times since 2019, but the company only applied for FDA approval early last year.

The agency declined at the time — the biggest issues were with the implant’s lithium battery, the possibility that its wires could migrate inside the brain, and whether the device could be safely removed without damaging brain tissue — saying the Concerns would need to be addressed before human trials would be allowed.

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Neuralink was founded in 2016 and has been the subject of multiple federal investigations.

An investigation was reportedly launched in December last year alleged animal welfare violations in its work allegations it has denied.

According to one report, a total of 1,500 animals died over four years, prompting internal complaints that animal testing was being rushed, causing unnecessary suffering and deaths.

According to collaborators, Musk increased the pressure to speed up development, leading to botched experiments that had to be repeated.

In one case, 25 pigs were reportedly implanted with the wrong size devices – a source told Reuters news agency it was a mistake that could have been avoided with more preparation.

Neuralink hopes the implant he’s developing will help paralyzed people walk again — and cure other neurological problems.

Swiss researchers showed the potential of the technology earlier this week.

A paralyzed man from the Netherlands could walk just by thinking about it – thanks to a system of implants that wirelessly transmitted his thoughts to his legs and feet.