Elon Musk Says Neuralink Will 'Ultimately' Be Available To All As FDA Grants Breakthrough Status For Speech-Restoring Brain Tech

Elon Musk announced plans to make Neuralink‘s brain-computer interface technology “widely available” following the company’s receipt of Breakthrough Device Designation from the Food and Drug Administration for restoring communication in severely speech-impaired individuals.

What Happened: “In the years to come, Neuralink will make this technology widely available, so that ultimately anyone will have access to it,” Musk stated on his X, responding to the company’s announcement of the FDA designation.

The breakthrough status specifically targets people with speech impairments due to conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. Neuralink’s post encouraged affected individuals to sign up for the company’s Patient Registry.

This development comes as Neuralink prepares for significant expansion of both its clinical trials and financial backing. Since implanting its first brain-computer interface in patient Noland Arbaugh earlier this year, the company has successfully placed devices in two additional patients, with plans to complete 20-30 more implants before year’s end.

See Also: AI Was Supposed To Save Time, But Many Workers Are Ending Up With More Tasks: Study

Why It Matters: The neurotechnology company, founded by Musk in 2016, is reportedly planning to raise $500 million in an upcoming funding round at a pre-money valuation of $8.5 billion, according to a Bloomberg report.

Neuralink’s N1 Implant features a computer chip embedded in the skull with 64 superfine threads containing 1,024 electrodes in the brain.

While patient Noland Arbaugh, a 30-year-old quadriplegic, experienced retraction of about 85% of electrode threads from brain tissue, impacting performance, the company enhanced sensitivity and retooled the system to maintain functionality.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.