Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has confirmed that his brain chip startup Neuralink will begin its first human trials this year. Speaking at the VivaTech event in Paris, Elon Musk said that Neuralink plans to implant the first chip in a patient during a webcast watched by Reuters.

Last month, Neuralink said it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first human clinical trial, a key milestone for the startup. At the same time, the company is facing investigations by the United States of testing on animals. The FDA acknowledged that the agency had allowed Neuralink to use its brain implant and surgical robot for testing, but declined to provide further details.

Earlier, Elon Musk said that Neuralink plans to implant the chip in the first patient with tetraplegia or lower extremity paralysis. It’s not yet known how many patients his company plans to implant in the brains of the chips in the first trials, or how long the surgery will take for each patient. Source