Neuralink, a company founded by American billionaire and politician Elon Musk, has successfully implanted its brain chips into five patients, US media reported on Tuesday.
The technology allows people to control a computer mouse using only their thoughts. This is an important step in the development of brain-computer interfaces, which could improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, including paralysis.
The company’s first test subject was 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, who suffers from complete paralysis. He used the device to play online chess, move the cursor, browse the internet, and post on social media using only neural signals.
Neuralink is also preparing for the first trial of its new Blindsight chip, designed to restore vision in completely blind people. Implantation is planned for late 2025 or early 2026, likely in the UAE, at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. The chip, with more than 1,000 electrodes, will stimulate the visual cortex, allowing patients, even those who have been blind since birth, to perceive visual images. Elon Musk said that the image quality will not be very good initially, but will improve over time.
Neuralink plans to increase the number of operations to 100 in 2026, and by 2030, the company intends to perform up to 50,000 operations annually.
