The American company Neuralink announced last November that it would be able to implant its first chips in the human brain from the spring of 2023. But Elon Musk’s agenda has just been thwarted by the American authorities who have not authorized these first experiments on the brain. ‘male. This is a new obstacle for this implant project which is already under fire from two investigations by the American authorities.
Neuralink, specializing in smart brain implants, is one of many startups created by Elon Musk and certainly not the least ambitious. Its ultimate goal is to achieve a kind of human-machine interface through the implantation of chips and electrodes in the brain.
The idea is to be able to control, for example, an electronic terminal, a smartphone for example, without having to touch it, simply by thinking. In the longer term, these electrodes might have other uses, in particular participating in the treatment of neurological diseases, and thus help to overcome one day Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy, or allow paralyzed people to regain their mobility.
The lithium battery worries the FDA
But bad news for Neuralink, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in charge of authorizing or prohibiting the marketing of drugs in the United States, recently gave a negative opinion on a first human experiment, evoking ” major security fears” for future guinea pigs.
The FDA would be concerned regarding the lithium battery contained in the device or the possibility that the implant’s tiny wires might migrate to other parts of the brain. The agency is also worried regarding damage to brain tissue when removing the implant.
Animal abuse
These questions are in addition to investigations by the US Department of Agriculture, for animal abuse, and the Department of Transportation. The latter accuses Neurolink of having transported potentially dangerous pathogens located on contaminated implants taken from the brains of monkeys.
Because before experimenting with its technology on humans, Neuralink has already done so on animals. A video posted by the startup in 2021, for example, showed a first successful experiment on a monkey. Pager, a nine-year-old macaque, received two chips in his brain combining more than 2,000 electrodes.
Allow to “walk once more”
They participate in coordinating his movements of the arms and hands. His smallest actions are thus analyzed by computer and it becomes possible to anticipate his actions. This experience is made possible by a small video game where, using a joystick, the monkey must move a small circle in a colored square. Note that, while he is playing, the macaque takes the opportunity to enjoy a good banana or strawberry smoothie.
After this first video was uploaded, Elon Musk promised: “Neuralink will soon allow a paralyzed person to use a smartphone with their mind, even faster than someone with their thumbs. to allow paraplegics to walk once more”.
On the occasion of Brain Week, organized from March 13 to 19, find a selection of articles devoted to the subject:
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