Musk says patient can move cursor with brain implant

(Patria) - Elon Musk says the first human patient with a brain implant from his company Neuralink is able to move a computer mouse cursor with their thoughts, AFP reported.

Last month, Musk's neurotechnology company implanted a brain implant in its first human patient, and Musk reported on Monday that the experiment was successful.

"The patient appears to have fully recovered with no ill effects that we're aware of," Musk said in an interview broadcast on X. The patient is able to "move a mouse around the screen just by thinking," he said.

"We're trying to get as many button presses as possible out of thinking,"
Musk added. "Obviously, you want to have more than just two buttons."

Neuralink's technology works through a device the size of five stacked coins that is surgically implanted into the human brain.

The startup, which Musk co-founded in 2016, aims to build direct communication channels between brains and computers. The ambition is to enhance human capabilities, treat neurological disorders like ALS or Parkinson's disease, and perhaps one day achieve a symbiotic relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.

Musk is not alone in trying to make progress in this field, which is officially known as brain-machine interface or brain-computer interface research.