What is Elon Musk's Neuralink brain chip, how does it work and is it dangerous?

The first person has received a brain chip by Elon Musk's company Neuralink, the tech billionaire said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The patient "is recovering well" Mr Musk wrote, adding that initial results of the device - called "Telepathy" - show "promising neuron spike detection".

So what is the chip, how does it work and who will benefit?

What is the brain chip?

The chip is a tiny implant with more than 3,000 electrodes, attached to flexible threads measuring about the tenth of the size of a hair, and capable of monitoring around 1,000 neurons.

Mr Musk described the device as “like a Fitbit in your skull" when he showed off the technology in three live pigs to an audience in 2020.

How does it work?

The implant is designed to interpret a person’s brain activity, so they can operate a computer or smartphone by simply intending to move without actually needing to be able to actually move.

The electronic device sends information on the person's brain activity to a Neuralink app, where is would then be translated into actions and intentions.

How is it implanted?

A surgical robot has been designed to insert the threads of the implant into the appropriate part of the brain.

Mr Musk has said the procedure would not require anaesthesia and should last around one hour.

Why is it being developed?

The goal of the wireless chip is for users to be able to control devices such as phones and computers entirely with their own thoughts, which in theory could help people suffering from forms of paralysis.

The chip could also tweak brain functioning to help with conditions such as memory loss, poor eyesight and Parkinson's disease.

Is it dangerous?

Neuralink has been tested on a series of animals, and was given the go ahead from the US Food and Drug Administration for human trials last year.

The company is now recruiting patients so that it can continue to test the safety of its fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface and the surgical robot used to insert it.

The company was accused of abusing monkeys in one of its trials last year, but Mr Musk disputed the claims, writing on X: "No monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant".

He added that monkeys with terminal illnesses were chosen for the study to minimise the risk to healthy animals.

Further investigations were then initiated by tech magazine Wired, which uncovered papers that appeared to show that complications with the device had led to the monkeys' deaths.

When will the chip be widely available?

Neuralink was founded by Mr Musk in 2016 and has experienced multiple delays in the development of its brain chip.

Former Neuralink employees described a chaotic culture at the company in an interview with STAT News in 2020, and said that rushed timelines had clashed with the slow nature of developing such a technical product.

The study will take approximately six years to complete, and the company is looking for volunteers who have quadriplegia, are at least 22 years old and have a consistent and reliable caregiver.

So far the chip is only in development and available for testing for people with certain health conditions, but Elon Musk has suggested that the list of potential future uses is extensive.

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