Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink says the FDA has approved human trials

Neuralink has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the launch of its first human clinical study.

“We are excited to share that we have received FDA approval to launch our first human clinical study!” Neuralink’s official Twitter account wrote on Thursday.(opens in a new tab) “This is the result of incredible work done by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people.”

The neurotech company is not yet recruiting test subjects and has not released any information on exactly what the clinical trial will entail. Even so, fans of Neuralink founder Elon Musk are already chewing(opens in a new tab) in(opens in a new tab) he(opens in a new tab) bit(opens in a new tab) implant questionable experimental technology into his gray matter.

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Neuralink aims to develop implantable devices that allow people to control computers with their brain, as well as restore vision or mobility for people with disabilities. However, while this may sound exciting for people with disabilities, there are serious concerns about Neuralink’s brain chips.

The FDA reportedly rejected an earlier request by Neuralink to begin human trials last year, as there were “dozens of issues the company needs to address.” Among them were concerns that the wires could move and damage the brain, that the brain could be damaged during removal of the device, and that there could be potential problems with its lithium battery.

Neuralink is also currently under investigation for animal welfare violations, with reports of failed experiments resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. This has reportedly included instances of surgeons using the wrong surgical tools, implanting Neuralink devices in the wrong locations, and implanting devices that were the wrong size.

Mashable has contacted the FDA for comment.

Musk has spent years claiming that Neuralink would soon begin human testing. If this latest announcement is true, it might finally happen this time.