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Elon Musk has announced that a new brain chip that aims to restore sight to blind people will be used for the first time this year.
The Tesla CEO said that Neuralink, another one of his tech companies, planned on implanting its new brain chip, Blindsight, into a human patient for the first time in late 2025.
Newsweek contacted Neuralink for more information on the announcement via email.
Why It Matters
While Neuralink doesn’t have the same recognition as some of Musk’s other tech companies, such as Tesla or SpaceX, it has continued to work quietly on one of Musk’s most advanced technologies: brain chips. The company has already conducted animal tests and has been proceeding with clinical trials since 2024. Musk’s announcement is the first major step toward widespread Neuralink rollout.
What To Know
During an event in Wisconsin, Musk announced that the animal trials for Blindsight, a Neuralink chip that could potentially restore full sight to someone who is completely blind, had been successful, and that monkeys with the implant were healthy.
Musk said that animal trials on monkeys had shown great promise: “We’re hoping later this year to do our first device implant for a human, enabling someone who is completely blind to see. It will be low-res at first, so I want to set expectations accordingly.
“It will start off low-res, but over time, I think eventually the implant will enable vision that is superhuman, so that will be really cool.”
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The statement came a few days after Neuralink filed trademarks for the term “Blindsight,” along with “telepathy” and “telekinesis,” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The first Neuralink brain implant was carried out in January 2024, when three patients were given “telepathic” control over body parts that they previously had been unable to move due to disabilities.
Musk was attending the event in Wisconsin to raise awareness for the state’s Supreme Court election, in which Musk has heavily backed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel.
What People Are Saying
In a February blog post, Neuralink said: “Our work has shown encouraging potential for the Link to help restore autonomy to individuals with significant mobility impairments. Over the past year, they have provided invaluable feedback that has been instrumental in improving the design of our technology, ensuring it better meets the needs of future users.
“We’re excited to work with more participants and their unique needs so that we can build and restore the functionalities that are most meaningful to them.”
What Happens Next
Neuralink does not yet have a timeline for the rollout of the Blindsight chip. Further testing of the technology will be required before it becomes widely accessible.
