Neuralink Claims First Human Patient Can Control Mouse with Thoughts

Elon Musk has said the first patient implanted with a brain chip from his company Neuralink can control a computer mouse using only their thoughts.

The announcement was made during a Spaces audio chat, a feature on X, in which Musk gave the first update on the transplant since January.

"Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with no ill effects that we are aware of,” Musk said during the chat. “Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking."

Musk said Neuralink is now trying to get the patient to perform as many mouse clicks as possible.

Neuralink announced it had successfully implanted its brain chip in the first human patient at the end of January. 

“The first human received an implant from Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well,” Musk wrote on X.

“Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”

In a separate post, Musk said Neuralink’s first product is called Telepathy and is intended to help people with paralysis control electronic devices using only their thoughts.

For the study, Neuralink used a robot to surgically implant a brain-computer interface chip in the subject’s brain, targeting the area that controls movement to allow patients with paralysis to “control external devices with their thoughts.”

Related:Musk Neuralink Implants First Brain Chip in Human

Neuralink secured FDA approval for its first-in-human clinical study in May 2023, with recruitment starting in September of the same year.