Key Points
- Neuralink now has 21 participants enrolled in its brain implant clinical trials.
- This is an increase from the 12 participants reported in September.
- The company is celebrating two years since it began human testing.
- The trials are designed to help people with conditions like spinal cord injuries.
Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, Neuralink, announced on Wednesday that it has now enrolled a total of 21 people in its clinical trials around the world. This is a significant milestone for the company, which is celebrating the second anniversary of the start of its human testing.
The new number is an increase from the 12 participants the company had reported back in September. These patients, who have conditions like spinal cord injuries, are using Neuralink’s brain-computer interface to control computers and other devices with just their thoughts. The first patient famously used the implant to play video games, browse the internet, and move a cursor on a laptop.
“A primary aim of our expanding clinical trials is to better understand these variations and improve both our hardware and the overall procedure for every participant,” the company said in a statement.
Neuralink began its human trials in 2024 after a long and difficult process to get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA had initially rejected the company’s application in 2022 over safety concerns.
The company says it is working closely with regulators and hospitals to continue to improve its devices and procedures. So far, it has maintained a record of “zero serious device-related adverse events.”
This steady increase in the number of trial participants is a sign that Neuralink is making progress in its ambitious goal to merge the human brain with computers.
