Mij
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Clinical trial team will evaluate if the technology is safe and helpful for the patients
Two Canadian patients with spinal cord injuries have received Neuralink brain implants that have allowed them to control a computer with their thoughts.
They are part of the first clinical trial outside of the United States to test the safety and effectiveness of Elon Musk's Neuralink wireless brain chip, which he introduced to the public in 2020, and was first implanted in a paralyzed American in 2024.
The Canadian men, both around 30 years old — one from Ontario, the other from Alberta — have limited or no ability to use their hands.
Dr. Andres Lozano, a neurosurgeon at University Health Network who led the surgical team at Toronto Western Hospital, said the patients could move a computer cursor almost immediately after the surgery. They were both able to leave the hospital the morning after their respective procedures on Aug. 27 and Sept. 3, he said.
Electrodes were implanted into the motor area of each patient's brain to harness neuron signals and translate those signals into actions on an external device, skipping over the need to physically move, Lozano explained.
"The first patient was able to control a cursor by just thinking within minutes. It is extremely rapid. The signals are decoded and the artificial intelligence reads the signals and then translates them into movement on the cursor," he said.
"They just think about it and it happens."
"The device right now is a cursor, but in the future you could drive a car, you could drive your wheelchair, you could drive a robot."
Two Canadian patients with spinal cord injuries have received Neuralink brain implants that have allowed them to control a computer with their thoughts.
They are part of the first clinical trial outside of the United States to test the safety and effectiveness of Elon Musk's Neuralink wireless brain chip, which he introduced to the public in 2020, and was first implanted in a paralyzed American in 2024.
The Canadian men, both around 30 years old — one from Ontario, the other from Alberta — have limited or no ability to use their hands.
Dr. Andres Lozano, a neurosurgeon at University Health Network who led the surgical team at Toronto Western Hospital, said the patients could move a computer cursor almost immediately after the surgery. They were both able to leave the hospital the morning after their respective procedures on Aug. 27 and Sept. 3, he said.
Electrodes were implanted into the motor area of each patient's brain to harness neuron signals and translate those signals into actions on an external device, skipping over the need to physically move, Lozano explained.
"The first patient was able to control a cursor by just thinking within minutes. It is extremely rapid. The signals are decoded and the artificial intelligence reads the signals and then translates them into movement on the cursor," he said.
"They just think about it and it happens."
"The device right now is a cursor, but in the future you could drive a car, you could drive your wheelchair, you could drive a robot."