Musk stated that the company hopes to perform its first human device implant later this year, allowing someone who is completely blind to regain sight. He made this comment in response to a question from an audience member during his Town Hall in Wisconsin, United States, on Sunday, as per The Indian Express.
Musk shared on X that Blindsight is designed to “allow those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see” and even enable individuals who were born blind to experience sight for the first time.
Blindsight would initially offer only low-resolution vision for people who are blind. He explained that while it would start with limited capabilities, the implant would eventually provide vision that surpasses normal human levels.
Blindsight is Neuralink’s goal to use its Link implant to restore vision or create a form of artificial vision for those who have lost it.
Neuralink was cofounded by Elon Musk in 2016. The company’s mission is to create a “generalised brain interface” that restores autonomy to individuals with medical challenges.
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Science of ‘Telepathy’Neuralink works on an advanced brain-computer interface (BCI), which is a wireless, implantable device called the Link.
Link helps people with paralysis regain autonomy by allowing them to control external devices (like smartphones, computers, and other digital devices) using only their thoughts. This capability of the implant or Link is referred to as Telepathy, as per the company.
“We are currently focused on giving people with quadriplegia the ability to control their computers and mobile devices with their thoughts,” the company said.
Mission of restoring autonomy
In September last year, The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Blindsight a ‘breakthrough’ status. This designation is given to medical devices that provide a diagnosis or treatment for life-threatening conditions.
In January 2024, Noland became the first person to receive a Neuralink implant. Recently, a third person has also received an implant from Neuralink.
Noland, Alex, and Brad, three individuals with paralysis, together, have had their Links implanted for over 670 days and have accumulated more than 4,900 hours of use, including both scheduled research sessions and independent use in daily activities.
The company looks forward to restoring abilities like vision, motor function, and speech in the future.
