Elon Musk Says Neuralink's First Human Patient Can Move Computer Mouse 'by Just Thinking’

The patient "seems to have made a full recovery" after the brain-science company implanted the quarter-size chip in January, Musk said on Monday

• Neuralink founder Elon Musk claims the first person to have one of the company's chips implanted in their brain has seemingly "made a full recovery"

• Musk also said the patient can now “move the mouse around a screen just by thinking"

• Neuralink was approved to begin human trials in 2023

Elon Musk says Neuralink’s first human trial participant, who had a chip implanted in their brain in January, can already accomplish some stunning feats, including moving a computer mouse with just their thoughts.

During a Spaces event on X (formerly known as Twitter), the 52-year-old Neuralink founder said the subject “seems to have made a full recovery” with no “ill effects that we are aware of,” according to Reuters and CNN.

Musk also said that patient can now “move the mouse around a screen by just thinking," per Reuters and Business Insider.

“We’re trying to get as many button presses as possible from thinking, so that’s what we’re currently working on," the billionaire said on Monday, per CNN. "Can we get left mouse, right mouse, mouse down, mouse up?”

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Neuralink was granted permission to conduct human trials in 2023. The implantation procedure is performed by a robot.

The chip inserted into the subject’s brain is about the size of a quarter and has dozens of tiny threadlike electrodes. The new technology was placed in part of the brain that controls movement, according to Reuters and CNN.

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The billionaire has previously said he hopes the technology will be able to provide treatment for a number of conditions, including depression and schizophrenia, per Reuters.

On Jan. 29, Musk announced that Neuralink’s first product would be called “Telepathy.” The product, he said, would give users the ability to control devices such as phones and computers “just by thinking.”

“Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs,” he said. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.”

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In December 2022, Musk suggested that he will eventually have a Neuralink chip implanted in his brain, as well, according to CNBC.

Neuralink has faced accusations of violating the Animal Welfare Act since its inception in 2016, but a 2022 report from the Agriculture Department showed no violations were found aside from a self-reported 2019 incident.

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