Neuralink owner Elon Musk says the company's first human patient is now able to control basic computer mouse movements using a brain implant they received earlier this year.
In a discussion on X Monday, Musk shared some details about the patient's procedure.
"Progress is good, patient seems to have made a full recovery … and is able to control the mouse, move the mouse around the screen just by thinking."
The next steps, Musk said, would be to allow users to perform more complex operations, such as clicking and dragging content in a desktop environment.
Musk did not provide additional details or information about the procedure.
The chip was implanted in a robot-assisted surgery in January, placed in a part of the brain that deals with the intention to move.
The chip captures brain signals and sends them to an app. The long term goal, according to Neuralink, is to give patients the ability to control entire devices with their thoughts.
Elon Musk's Neuralink implants first device in human brain
Neuralink has completed the first implant in a human brain after receiving FDA approval for a human study last year, according to Musk.
Previously, the company had trialed its chips in animals, including monkeys. Neuralink faced allegations that several macaques died after receiving test implants. Musk has said that none of the deaths occurred "as a result" of receiving an implant.
Reuters reported a federal investigation was opened into potential animal welfare violations at Neuralink in December of 2022.
Neuralink got FDA approval to perform a clinical study in human subjects in May of 2023. It recruited subjects with "quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)."
