The Neuralink implant that Musk hopes will connect the human brain to a computer was demonstrated in a presentation.
The feat was first documented by others in a human in 2006 in the pre-YouTube era and with technology that is much more cumbersome.
The presentation that Mr. Musk gave on Wednesday night was not much different from previous ones. He claimed that the implant could make it possible for people with paralysis to use computers. The experts questioned if the demonstration showed major progress with the device given the breadth of work underway nationwide.
Daniel Yoshor, who has worked with similar devices, said after watching the presentation that these are incremental advances. The hardware doesn't represent a huge advancement in brain function.
The FDA doesn't approve Neuralink to sell the device. The company submitted most of its paperwork to the agency to get permission to implant its device in a human, according to Mr. Musk. The F.D.A. would be up to him after a full evaluation of the risks and benefits of the device.
One of the more chaotic months of Mr. Musk's career resulted in the postponement of the event. He recently completed his off-again, on-again purchase of Twitter, which has commanded a lot of his attention and generated a lot of controversy.
Neuralink is emerging from a period of change and is managed by Mr. Musk. MAX HODAK left the company last year to start his own venture. The chief executive of Neuralink is a wealth manager namedJared Birchall.
Wednesday night's presentation focused on the "Link" device, which is an inch wide stack of several coins with hundreds of hair-thin threads. Mr. Musk said in his presentation that a surgical robot would cut a hole in the skull and slip thread into the gray matter of the brain. The skull would be flush with the coin.
Neuralink has invested in a device that does not have wires or hardware. Many of them have been concerned by Mr. Musk's presentations.
The presentation of a monkey playing a video game with his mind was similar to a primate demonstration at Brown University in 2001.
In a 2020 presentation, Mr. Musk showed a pig with an implant that he said could cure a number of conditions. It sounds like science fiction to scientists who are singularly focused on restoring basic functions, like typing, speaking or lifting a fork, to those who have lost them. The benefits for such patients outweigh the risks of brain surgery.
Cindy Chestek is an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan and is working on restoring function to amputees.
Mr. Musk said on Wednesday night that his device would give someone with a severed spine full-body function. The state of the field is not reflected in the claims.
Dr Yoshor said he wouldn't say that with confidence. I wouldn't be sure of this kind of device in a patient.
Cristin Welle, an associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Colorado, helped draft F.D.A. guidance on brain- computer implants before leaving.
Regulators will look at whether the device will harm the brain or present unreasonable risks to patients. The potential for brain fluids to eat through insulation on the Link device will be considered.
Records filed with the Agriculture Department show that Neuralink has tested the device on animals.
The F.D.A. has approved several companies to study similar devices in humans. The Utah array, a device the size of a baby aspirin, was used in human trials in 2004. The computer on the head is connected to a wire. The system is called BrainGate.
With the pieces in place, scientists look for patterns in the electrical current of the brain to signal the intent to type. The computer or robot is commanded by the code.
The Utah array device has been used to test nearly three dozen patients. People with disabilities have used the technology to lift a cinnamon latte with a robotic arm in 2011.
The Utah array isn't suitable for long-term use. It rises up out of the skull, tethers users to a cord and exposes them to the risk of a brain infections. Neuralink is trying to build devices that are fully implanted.
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