Neuralink's Human Trials Begin: Exploring the PRIME Study

Elon Musk‘s Neuralink has embarked on an intriguing journey, calling for volunteers to step up for its maiden human trial dubbed “the PRIME study,” following FDA approval earlier this year.

As reported by The Verge, this trial is all about diving deep into Neuralink’s paralysis control technology. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, stretching over six years. They’re on the lookout for folks aged 22 and above, grappling with “quadriplegia due to vertical spinal cord injury or ALS” and who come equipped with a “consistent and reliable caregiver.”

What’s on the agenda? Well, participants will kick off with an 18-month study comprising nine rendezvous with researchers. After that, it’s two hours a week of brain-computer interface research, followed by another 20 visits over the next five years. Neuralink will graciously cover those “study-related costs,” but they’ve kept the trial’s location under wraps for now.

Neuralink's brain-machine interface technology sinks electrodes into the brain then uses a chip to communicate with computers outside your skull.
Screenshot by Luke Wilson/Fargolife — Neuralink’s brain-machine interface technology sinks electrodes into the brain then uses a chip to communicate with computers outside your skull.
Screenshot by Luke Wilson/Fargolife

The PRIME Study is all about giving the N1 implant, Neuralink’s brain-computer contraption, a thorough shakedown. The R1 robot, responsible for surgically implanting this gizmo, also gets its moment in the spotlight. And let’s not forget the N1 User App, a nifty software that’ll talk to the N1 implant and turn brain signals into computer wizardry.

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So, if you’re looking to be part of this cutting-edge experiment or simply want to see where Elon Musk’s brainchild is headed, keep your eyes peeled for more on the PRIME study.