Canada Approves Elon Musk’s Neuralink for Human Brain Chip Trial

Canada has given Elon Musk’s Neuralink permission to test its cutting-edge brain chip technology.

Neuralink, a company owned by Elon Musk, declared on Wednesday that it has received permission to carry out its first clinical trial in Canada. A technology that allows paraplegic people to operate digital devices with just their thoughts will be the subject of the trial.

The purpose of the study is to assess the safety and initial functionality of Neuralink’s implant, which uses mind control to help people with quadriplegia—paralysis of all four limbs—use external equipment.

In a second announcement, the University Health Network hospital in Toronto confirmed that the complex neurosurgery procedure needed for the implant had been selected for their institution.

The nation’s regulatory agency, Health Canada, did not immediately respond to the news.

Neuralink has already implanted the device in two people in the United States. The second patient, who has been using the device to study 3D design skills and play video games, is using it well, according to the business.

Neuralink, which Musk and a group of engineers founded in 2016, is working on a brain chip interface that will be implanted inside the skull. The company hopes the technique will someday restore vision and allow crippled patients to move and communicate once more.

The US Food and Drug Administration designated Neuralink’s experimental implant aimed at eyesight restoration as a “breakthrough device” in September.