Elon Musk says Neuralink brain chip patient can move a computer mouse 'by thinking'
Pascale Davies
Elon Musk said his Neuralink company's first patient can now move a computer mouse cursor with their mind.
Last month, the Tesla, social media platform X and SpaceX boss, said the patient was recovering well after a chip was implanted into their brain.
"Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with neural effects that we are aware of. Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking," Musk said on X Spaces on Monday, according to Reuters.
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Musk also said Neuralink is trying to give patients the ability to hold a button down and move a mouse in many directions.
The US's medicines regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the company’s first trial in May last year.
64 threads attached brain to the
The procedure entails the insertion of 64 flexible threads onto a part of the brain that controls movement intention.
The threads are so fine that a robot has to implant them. The threads then allow the implant to record and transmit brain signals to an app, which then decodes how a person decides to move.
The implant is powered by a battery that can be charged wirelessly.
Elon Musk says Neuralink has 'successfully' implanted a brain chip into human
Musk said last month that Neuralink’s first product would be called Telepathy, which allows "control of your phone or computer and through them almost any device, just by thinking," and that "initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs".
"Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal," he added.