Elon Musk says first Neuralink patient can control a computer mouse through thinking

A patient implanted with Neuralink’s brain technology can now control a computer mouse just by thinking, the company’s founder Elon Musk said.

“(The) patient seems to have made a full recovery with no ill effects that we are aware of and is able to control the mouse, move the mouse around the screen just by thinking,” Musk said in a Spaces session on X.

Neuralink is the billionaire’s start-up, which says it has developed a brain implant designed to help humans use their neural signals to control external technologies. The company aims to restore lost capabilities such as vision, motor function, and speech.

Neuralink was not immediately available for comment.

Neuralink implanted its device in a human for the first time in January. The company uses a robot to accurately implant the device in the brain.

Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla, said Neuralink is trying to get “as many button presses as possible from thinking” from the patient. He said this could include moving the computer mouse up and down to drag boxes on a screen.

Neuralink began recruiting patients for its first in-human clinical trial in the fall, after it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct the study back in May, according to a blog post.

The in-human clinical trial marks just one step down Neuralink’s path toward commercialization. Medical device companies must go through several rounds of intense data safety collection and testing before securing final approval from the FDA.

– CNBC’s Ashley Capoot contributed to this story.