Is Neuralink a medical device? How many wires does Neuralink have?

Neuralink is a company founded by Elon Musk that aims to create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.

One of its products is a wireless brain chip implant that can record and transmit brain signals to an app that decodes how the person intends to move.

Neuralink’s implant consists of 64 flexible threads, thinner than human hair, that are surgically placed on a part of the brain that controls “movement intention”.

The implant is powered by a battery that can be charged wirelessly. Neuralink says that its implant can enable “control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking”.

Neuralink successfully implanted its first brain chip in a human on Sunday, 28 January 2024, and reported promising neuron spike detection and recovery. The company received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2023 to conduct its first trial to test its implant on humans.