Founder of the neurotechnology company Neuralink Elon Musk said on Monday that the first human patient has received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink and is recovering well.
“Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” he wrote on “X” (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the company to conduct its first trial and test its implant on humans, an important step in its efforts to help patients overcome paralysis and various neurological conditions.
Neuralink’s device, about the size of a large coin, is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going directly into the brain.
The company aims to give people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone.
Musk also revealed that the first product from Neuralink would be called Telepathy.
According to Reuters, the company was valued at about $5 billion last June, but the company faced scrutiny from lawmakers in November who asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Musk had misled investors about the safety of its technology after veterinary records showed problems with the implants on monkeys, including paralysis, seizures, and brain swelling.
Musk wrote in a social media post on September 10 that “…no monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant.” He added that the company chose terminally ill monkeys to minimize risks to healthy ones.