A brain-machine interface that is implanted into the top of the skull with electrodes penetrating approximately three millimeters into the cerebral cortex, the brain's outer layer. Promoted by Elon Musk, Neuralink was founded in 2016 to help people overcome an array of problems, including paralysis, blindness, hearing and memory loss as well as depression, insomnia, addiction and pain. Neuralink uses Bluetooth communications to a smartphone app that provides the controlling software.
Wear All Day, Charge at Night
The device lasts all day and is charged overnight. Attaching the Neuralink is performed with a Neuralink surgical robot in a hospital environment without general anesthesia. After successful experiments with pigs, Neuralink achieved an FDA breakthrough device designation in the summer of 2020 for its Precise Robotically IMplanted Brain-Computer InterfacE (PRIME), and requests for human participants began in late 2023.
First Neuralink Implant
In January 2024, the first Neuralink was implanted into 29-year-old Nolan Arbaugh, who is paralyzed below his shoulders. Using only his mind to move the cursor on screen, Arbaugh was able to play chess and the video game Civilization VI. Stay tuned! See
brain-machine interface.