Neuralink

The Link (previously called N1 sensor or Link 0.9) is a BCI device that is implanted into the brain to allow the user to control a computer or mobile device. The Link is connected to micron-scale threads inserted into areas of the brain to control movement. The Link transmits neural signals received from the neural threads, which contain electrodes to detect neural signals. The device uses an inductive charger that wirelessly connects to the implant to charge the battery. The shape of the Neurolink BCI device changed to be coin-shaped and fit flush with the skull, rather than the previous design resting near the ear. Musk stated that the device matches the thickness of the piece of skull that had been removed to insert it. Musk stated on X on January 29, 2024 that that Neuralink's first product is called TelapathyTelepathy.

The PRIME Study (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) is an investigational medical device clinical trial for Neuralink’s fully-implantable, wireless BCI that aims to evaluate the safety of the implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1), and the functionality of the BCI for enabling people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts. A small implant is placed in the part of the brain that controls movements which interprets neural activity. The device is designed to allow the person to operate a computer or smartphone by intending to move, without the requirement of physical movement. According to Neuralink, people who have quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may qualify. The PRIME study received U.S. FDA clearance in May 2023 and began recruiting patients in September 2023. On January 28, 2024, the first person enrolled in the trial recieved an implant.

The PRIME study received U.S. FDA clearance in May 2023 and began recruiting patients in September 2023. On January 28, 2024, the first person enrolled in the trial recieved an implant. Participants in the PRIME Study will have nine visits with researchers in an 18-month period. They will then spend at least two hours a week on brain-computer interface research sessions and have 20 more research visits over the next five years.

The Link (previously called N1 sensor or Link 0.9) is a BCI device that is implanted into the brain to allow the user to control a computer or mobile device. The Link is connected to micron-scale threads inserted into areas of the brain to control movement. The Link transmits neural signals received from the neural threads, which contain electrodes to detect neural signals. The device uses an inductive charger that wirelessly connects to the implant to charge the battery. The shape of the Neurolink BCI device changed to be coin-shaped and fit flush with the skull, rather than the previous design resting near the ear. Musk stated that the device matches the thickness of the piece of skull that had been removed to insert it. Musk stated on X on January 29, 2024 that that Neuralink's first product is called Telapathy.

The PRIME Study (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) is an investigational medical device clinical trial for Neuralink’s fully-implantable, wireless BCI that aims to evaluate the safety of the implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1), and the functionality of the BCI for enabling people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts. A small implant is placed in the part of the brain that controls movements which interprets neural activity. The device is designed to allow the person to operate a computer or smartphone by intending to move, without the requirement of physical movement. According to Neuralink, people who have quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may qualify. The PRIME study received U.S. FDA clearance in May 2023 and began recruiting patients in September 2023. On January 28, 2024, the first person enrolled in the trial recieved an implant.

Pedram Mosehni, a bioengineer at Case Western Reserve University, and Randolph Nudo, a brain specialist at Kansas University Medical Center, created the start-up NeuraLink in 20112015 to develop their idea for treating traumatic brain injuries with an electronic chip that is inserted into the brain. They wanted to make a chip capable of reestablishing damaged connections inside the brain by recording neurons in one brain area, then transmitting their activity to another. By 2013, the two founders developed a prototype that was shown to improve motor control in rats with brain damage.

Neuralink is a company that develops brain-computer interface (BCI) devices to assist people with paralysis and blindness and technologies that may expand the abilities of humans. The San Francisco, California-based company was founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and Max Hodak. The BCIs in development by Neuralink are designed to be high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces that connect people and machines in productive ways. The company aims to solve brain diseases in the short term and have a fully functional machine-human interface in the long term. The initial goal of Neuralink has been for its implants “to give people with paralysis their digital freedom back” by letting them “communicate more easily via text, to follow their curiosity on the web, to express their creativity through photography and art, and, yes, to play video games.”

A potential use of Neuralink's devices would be to allow people with paralysis to control computers and phones with their thoughts. This includes decoding movement intentions in the motor cortex, which could allow a paralyzed person to control avatars or assisted robotic devices. Neuralink also states that their technology could be used to decode speech intentions, which also originate in the motor cortex. In the 2019 presentation introducing Neuralink, Elon Musk stated the long term goal is achieving symbiosis with artificial intelligence.

In the 2019 presentation introducing Neuralink, Elon Musk stated the long term goal is achieving symbiosis with artificial intelligence. A challenge acknowledged by Neuralink is to achieve longevity of the devices and to prevent potential safety issues due to the device breakdown in the harsh environment inside the brain.

Neuralink released a white paper in 2019 that describes their BCI/BMI system. In 2020, Neuralink showcased a pig named Gertrude implanted with their BCI device that records signals from an area of the brain that receives touch information from her snout. In a livestream “show and tell” event in November 2022 Elon Musk stated that one of applications of Neuralink BCI technology would be the restoration of vision to people with blindness and showed that a Neuralink implant stimulated a visual sensation in a monkey’s brain. ThereA challenge acknowledged by Neuralink in 2019 is to achieve longevity of the devices and to prevent potential safety issues due to the device breakdown in the harsh environment inside the brain.There are no peer-reviewed academic publications by Neuralink on PubMed as of April 2023.

The FDA classifies The Link as a Class III device. The FDA rejected Neuralink’s application in early 2022 for the device to be used in clinical trials. Some of the safety concerns raised by the FDA include the lithium battery; potential migration of tiny wired to other areas of the brain; and uncertainty over the ability to remove the device without damaging brain tissue. Neuralink launched a Patient Registry in late 2022 to learn more about individuals who may be interested in enrolling in future Neuralink clinical trials.

The Link (previously called N1 sensor or Link 0.9) is a BCI device that is implanted into the brain to allow the user to control a computer or mobile device. The Link is connected to micron-scale threads inserted into areas of the brain the control movement. The Link transmits neural signals received from the neural threads which contain electrodes to detect neural signals. The device uses an inductive charger that wirelessly connects to the implant to charge the battery. The shape of the Neurolink BCI device changed to be coin-shaped and fit flush with the skull, rather than the previous design resting near the ear. Musk stated that the device matches the thickness of the piece of skull that had been removed to insert it.

The Link (previously called N1 sensor or Link 0.9) is a BCI device that is implanted into the brain to allow the user to control a computer or mobile device. The Link is connected to micron-scale threads inserted into areas of the brain the control movement. The Link transmits neural signals received from the neural threads which contain electrodes to detect neural signals. The device uses an inductive charger that wirelessly connects to the implant to charge the battery. The shape of the Neurolink BCI device changed to be coin-shaped and fit flush with the skull, rather than the previous design resting near the ear.

Neuralink released a white paper in 2019 that describes their BCI/BMI system. In 2020, Neuralink showcased a pig named Gertrude implanted with their BCI device that records signals from an area of the brain that receives touch information from her snout. In a livestream “show and tell” event in November 2022 Elon Musk stated that one of applications of Neuralink BCI technology would be the restoration of vision to people with blindness and showed that a Neuralink implant stimulated a visual sensation in a monkey’s brain. There are no peer-reviewed academic publications by Neuralink on PubMed as of April 2023.

Joseph E. O’Doherty, ofneuroengineer at Neuralink is one of the first co-authors on a paper published in BioRxiv in April 2019 with ahis previous team of researchers in Brazil, Russia and at Duke University. The paper described monkeys using brain-machine-brain interface that learned to interpret intracortical microstimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and propose the potential to encorporate their approach into upper-limb neuroprostheses.

Neuralink’s 2019 non-peer reviewed whitepaper demonstrates two of their devices, System A and System B, were implanted in rats and took electrophysiological recordings as they moved around freely. Digitized broadband signals were processed in real time to identify action potentials, also referred to as spikes, using an online detection algorithm. Neuralink uses custom spike-detection software for filter out false positive spikes. Their threshold was set to >0.35 Hz to quantify the number of electrodes recording spiking units. The simultaneous recording from over 3000 inserted electrodes in a freely moving rat was reported. The placement of electrodes was successful 87% of the time in 19 rats. Neuralink did not demonstrate capabilities for modulating neural activity, but state that their device is designed to be capable of electrical stimulation on every channel.

Neuralink is a nanobiotechnology company developingthat implantabledevelops brain-computer interfacebrain-computer interface (BCI) devices to connectassist people with paralysis and technologies that may expand the abilities of humans and computers. The San Francisco, California-based company was founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and Max Hodak. The BCIs in development by Neuralink are designed to be high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces that connect people and machines in productive ways. The company aims to solve brain diseases in the short term and have a fully functional machine-human interface in the long term. The initial goal of Neuralink has been for its implants “to give people with paralysis their digital freedom back” by letting them “communicate more easily via text, to follow their curiosity on the web, to express their creativity through photography and art, and, yes, to play video games.”

The Link (previously called N1 sensor or Link 0.9) is a BCI device

The Link (previously called N1 sensor or Link 0.9) is a BCI device that is implanted into the brain to allow the user to control a computer or mobile device. The Link is connected to micron-scale threads inserted into areas of the brain the control movement. The Link transmits neural signals received from the neural threads which contain electrodes to detect neural signals. The device uses an inductive charger that wirelessly connects to the implant to charge the battery.

TheStated plans for the first clinical study for the N1 sensor/Link planned to focusfocused on patients with quadriplegia due to C1-C4 spinal cord injury and will use a four-chip setup to enable patients to control their smartphones using their brains. One of the N1 sensors would be implanted in the somatosensory cortex and the other three placed in the motor cortex. Each sensor has more than a thousand electrodes. Through that they will be able to control a computer mouse and keyboard by using a Bluetooth connection. Musk stated in 2017 that it may be around eight to ten years before the device is available for people without disabilities.

In 2015, Mosehni and Nudo were challenged with raising money to continue their work and were approached by a buyer, whose identity was unknown to them at the time, wanting to purchase the trademark rights for their company's name, NeuraLink. The two founders sold the company name to the mysterious buyer for tens of thousands of dollars (the actual amount is unknown). It was not until after the deal was made that Mohseni and Nudo learned that the mysterious buyer was actually Elon Musk. Musk decided to change the name of the company slightly from NeuraLink to Neuralink before officially founding the company in 2016. The eight people that founded Neuralink in 2016 were Elon Musk, Max Hodak, Tim Hanson, Tim Gardner, Venessa Tolosa, Ben Rapoport, Paul Merolla, Dongiin Seo and Philip Sabes. As of 2023, two founders from this group, implant engineer Dongjin Seo and Elon Musk remain with Neuralink.

The Link (previously called N1 sensor or Link 0.9) is a BCI device

Neuralink's first BCI product designed for humans, called the "N1 Sensor" was planned to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and be successfully implanted into a human patient by the end of 2020 in a clinical study. The device was still awaiting approval in mid-2021. According to Hodak, Neuralink would attempt to pursue an early feasibility study under an investigational device exemption.

The FDA classifies The Link as a Class III device. The FDA rejected Neuralink’s application in early 2022 for the device to be used in clinical trials. Some of the safety concerns raised by the FDA include the lithium battery; potential migration of tiny wired to other areas of the brain; and uncertainty over the ability to remove the device without damaging brain tissue.

The first clinical study wasfor the N1 sensor/Link planned to focus on patients with quadriplegia due to C1-C4 spinal cord injury and will use a four-chip setup to enable patients to control their smartphones using their brains. One of the N1 sensors would be implanted in the somatosensory cortex and the other three placed in the motor cortex. Each sensor has more than a thousand electrodes. Through that they will be able to control a computer mouse and keyboard by using a Bluetooth connection. Musk stated in 2017 that it may be around eight to ten years before the device is available for people without disabilities.

Neuralink is a nanobiotechnology company developing implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) to connect humans and computers. The San Francisco, California-based company was founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and Max Hodak. The BCIs in development by Neuralink are designed to be high bandwidth brain-machine interfaceinterfaces that connect people and machines in productive ways. The company aims to solve brain diseases in the short term and have a fully functional machine-human interface in the long term. The initial goal of Neuralink has been for its implants “to give people with paralysis their digital freedom back” by letting them “communicate more easily via text, to follow their curiosity on the web, to express their creativity through photography and art, and, yes, to play video games.”

Pedram Mosehni, a bioengineer at Case Western Reserve University, and Randolph Nudo, a brain specialist at Kansas University Medical Center, created the startup NeuraLink in 2011 to develop their idea for treating traumatic brain injuries with an electronic chip that is inserted into the brain. They wanted to make a chip capable of reestablishing damaged connections inside the brain by recording neurons in one brain area, then transmitting their activity to another. Mosehni and Nudo established the startup NeuraLink in 2015. By 2013, the two founders developed a prototype that had somewas successshown helpingto improve themotor braincontrol ofin rats with brain damage.

The first clinical study willwas planned to focus on patients with quadriplegia due to C1-C4 spinal cord injury and will use a four-chip setup to enable patients to control their smartphones using their brains. One of the N1 sensors would be implanted in the somatosensory cortex and the other three placed in the motor cortex. Each sensor has more than a thousand electrodes. Through that they will be able to control a computer mouse and keyboard by using a Bluetooth connection. Musk stated in 2017 that it may be around eight to ten years before the device is available for people without disabilities.

By feeding electrical stimulation back to the brain cortex, Neuralink also plans to provide the perception of visual stimulation to a blind person or touch feedback to help someone operate a prosthetic device. The idea is similar to how cochlear implants use an external device to convert sound to electrical stimulation of nerve fibers along the cochlea.

A potential use of Neuralink's devices would be to allow people with paralysis to control computers with their thoughts. The Neuralink mentioned in their July 17, 2019 presentation that a monkey implanted with their device was able to control a computer with its brain. InAs well as decoding movement intentions in the presentationmotor Eloncortex, Muskwhich could allow a paralysed person to control avatars or assisted robotic devices, Neuralink also stated the long term goal of achieving symbiosis with artificial intelligence. A challenge acknowledged by Neuralink is to achievethat longevitytheir oftechnology thecould devicesbe andused to prevent potential safety issues duedecode tospeech theintentions breakdownwhich ofalso deviceoriginate in the harsh environment inside themotor braincortex.

By feeding electrical stimulation back to the brain cortex, Neuralink also plans to provide the perception of visual stimulation to a blind person or touch to help someone operate a prosthetic device. The idea is similar to how cochlear implants use an external device to convert sound to electrical stimulation of nerve fibers along the cochlea.

In the presentation Elon Musk stated the long term goal of achieving symbiosis with artificial intelligence. A challenge acknowledged by Neuralink is to achieve longevity of the devices and to prevent potential safety issues due to the breakdown of device in the harsh environment inside the brain.

Neuralink's first BCI product designed for humans, called the "N1 Sensor" is planned to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and successfully implanted into a human patient by the end of 2020 in a clinical study. According to Hodak Neuralink would attempt to pursue an early feasibility study under an investigational device exemption.

Neurolink’s 2019 non-peer reviewed whitepaper demonstrates two of their devices System A and System B implanted in rats which took electrophysiological recordings as they moved around freely. Digitized broadband signals were processed in real-time to identify action potentials, also referred to as spikes, using an online detection algorithm. Neurolink uses custom spike-detection software for filter out false positive spikes. Their threshold was set to >0.35 Hz to quantify the number of electrodes recording spiking units. The simultaneous recording from over 3000 inserted electrodes in a freely moving rat was reported. The placement of electrodes was successful 87% of the time in 19 rats. Neuralink did not demonstrate capabilities for modulating neural activity, but state that their device is designed to be capable of electrical stimulation on every channel.

Neuralink’s devices build upon academic research in deep brain stimulation, cochlear implants, neurostimulation for epilepsy and the Utah array. The Utah Array, used for neural recording in BCI research and the BrainGate device, is made of a rigid grid of up to 128 electrode channels. Depending on the version, Neuralink claims its systems can record from 1,500 or 3000 electrode channels. The thin, flexible electrodes are claimed to be less likely to cause tissue damage compared with the Utah Array which is known to cause a tissue response that can interfere with recorded signals or damage brain cells.