American govt approves Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip that could restore vision

A new experimental brain implantation device, Blindsight, designed to restore vision has been awarded the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ‘breakthrough device’ designation.

The device was created by Elon Musk’s brain chip company, Neuralink, which specialises in developing a brain-chip interface that can be implanted within the skull.

Blindsight is designed to allow individuals who have lost both eyes and optic nerves to regain sight.

On Tuesday, in a post made on X announcing the new development, Mr Musk said Blindsight can help blind people regain their sight as long as their visual cortex is still intact.

He said, “The Blindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see.

He said: “Provided the visual cortex is intact, it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time.

“To set expectations correctly, the vision will at first be low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential to be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge.”

The designation of Blindsight as a “breakthrough device’ has been described as a significant milestone in the step towards the development of Neuralink’s technology aimed at treating severe medical conditions.

FDA award

The FDA grants “breakthrough device” designation to medical innovations which seek to diagnose or treat life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating conditions.

This designation is intended to fast-track the development and review process, providing hope to patients with limited treatment options.

According to the brain-chip company, technology has the potential to help people with disabilities regain mobility, communicate, and even restore vision. The chip processes neural signals and transmits them to external devices such as computers or smartphones.

It is, however, yet to be disclosed when Neuralink will commence human trials for Blindsight.

Device for paralysed people

Meanwhile, Neuralink also has another brain-computer interface which aims to enable paralysed individuals to control computers and other devices with their thoughts.

Earlier in the year, Neuralink successfully implanted the brain chip in a patient, who has been using it to play video games and learn new languages.

In a nine-minute live stream on X in March, the patient, Noland Arbaugh, was shown to be using the cursor to play chess online.

Mr Arbaugh, who became paralysed below the shoulders after a diving accident, said “The surgery was super easy.”

Also, Mr Musk, in August, announced that the second implant of the device in a human was successful and the patient is now able to design 3D objects and play video games such as counter-strike 2.

The goal of Mr Musk’s neurotechnology company is to connect human brains to computers to help tackle complex neurological conditions.