Musk breakthrough: first human fitted with brain implant

Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain tech company, has taken a historic step by implanting a chip in a human's brain. Among other things, this could help people who are paralyzed by allowing them to communicate with thoughts through the chip.

Why You Need to Know This

This breakthrough opens up new possibilities in health care. It could revolutionize people with paralysis.

Neuralinks technology opens new avenues for people with severe physical disabilities, especially paralyzed patients. The ability to operate computers just by thinking of words or opening programs without a mouse could significantly improve their way of communicating and interacting with the world. Nothing has yet been disclosed about the identity and health status of the study's subject.

Blackrock Neurotech

Neuralink's technology is not unique of its kind. Companies such as Blackrock Neurotech have made similar strides. For example, Blackrock managed to get a paralyzed patient to shake hands with former President Obama using two implants and a robotic arm.

Successful test with animals

Neuralink has previously conducted successful tests with animals, including a monkey that played the game Pong based on brain activity rather than a physical controller. These early tests were crucial to refining the technology and preparing for the first human trials.

Safety, reliability and applicability in everyday life require extensive research and testing. Still, this first step offers hope for the future and opens the door to a world where technology and human brain are seamlessly connected.

Onward Medical

Striking news following Musk's innovation: the topper on the Brussels Euronext broad market is Gerard & Anton Award winner Onward Medical. The developer of a therapy for patients with spinal cord injury shot up as much as 43.6 percent to 3.39 euros, approaching the share price level of late 2023.

The goal of Musk's test is to see if a test subject can move a cursor on a computer screen just by thinking about it. The test is a first step toward the development of brain chips that can resolve paralysis in humans, the exact goal that Onward is also aiming for through its combination of implants and spinal cord stimulators.

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