Specialized in the development of brain chips, the company Neuralink is preparing to launch clinical trials in humans. First devices could be implanted in patients with spinal cord injuries.
Co-founded almost five years ago by Elon Musk, Neuralink is a company aiming to develop brain-machine interfaces that can be used to control movements by recording and relaying the user's brain activity signaling their intentions, all wirelessly.
According to Musk, these implants could allow paralyzed people to control a computer by thought "faster than a person using their thumbs ". The system could also be used to treat Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's disease. In the longer term, some imagine humans with enhanced cognitive abilities.
To do this, Neuralink has developed a chip consisting of electrodes. These four to six micrometer thick polymer "threads" will be manipulated by a system of robots capable of placing them in the region of the brain controlling voluntary movement. These neural signals will be sent to a larger network, which will then be able to transmit them to devices.
According to Musk, we should thus view the technology as akin to replacing faulty/missing neurons with circuits .
A few months ago, two such electrode arrays were implanted into the motor cortex of a primate to record its neural activity while it played a game and a sow named Gertrude on a treadmill. Now, the company is recruiting a "Clinical Trials Director" to perform human testing of the technology. So we could soon take it to the next level.
"As Clinical Trial Director, you will work closely with some of the most innovative doctors and engineers, as well as early participants in the Neuralink clinical trial says the posting for the position in Fremont, Calif. "You will help build the team responsible for enabling Neuralink's clinical research activities and help develop the regulatory interactions that come with a fast-paced and ever-changing environment . »
Early entrants will have "the opportunity to change the world and work with some of the smartest and most talented experts in different fields “, according to the announcement.
According to Musk, the company would like to implant its first chips this year starting with patients with spinal cord injury. They could then connect to various digital devices allowing them to communicate with friends or browse the web directly with brain waves.
