Elon Musk's brain-chip company Neuralink is set to implant its revolutionary Blindsight chip on its first human patient in 2025. The test chip, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2024, has been given the status of a "Breakthrough Device." The approval was a milestone in itself, enabling Neuralink to go ahead with clinical trials for giving back eyesight to people who have lost both eyes and optic nerves.
The Blindsight chip works by stimulating the brain's visual cortex directly, without the requirement of functional eyes or optic nerves. The device, as explained by Musk, has the potential to make those who are blind because they have lost their eyes or optic nerves see, as long as their visual cortex is intact. This would include people who were born blind. The chip is intended to allow the brain to process visual information. Thus, helping those who use it to experience sight for the first time.
In his recent Town Hall in Wisconsin, Musk shared that Neuralink is optimistic about the chip's potential. “We’re hoping, later this year, to have the first device implant for humans, enabling someone who is completely blind to see,” Musk said. However, he qualified hopes by saying the first vision from the device would be low-resolution, like "Atari graphics,".
Although the device promises to have a chance of beating natural vision at some point in the future. The chip might one day provide the capacity to perceive wavelengths longer than visible light, like infrared, ultraviolet, or radar. It would be similar to the Star Trek fictional character Geordi La Forge, who employed a device known as a VISOR to perceive despite being blind.
Blindsight is just one of Neuralink's lofty plans. Neuralink is also working on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can assist people with paralysis in operating digital devices with just their thoughts. Neuralink's ultimate goal is to make a universal brain interface that might offer greater autonomy for individuals who have severe medical conditions.
Apart from Blindsight, Neuralink has also progressed in other fronts. Earlier in 2024, Neuralink successfully inserted its brain chip into a second patient, and the patient managed to play video games and move digital objects just by using their mind. Neuralink is determined to keep its trials growing bigger, with plans to implant the chip in eight more patients in 2025.
The company's brain-computer interface technology could transform the medical industry, bringing new hope to the disabled and those with brain disorders.