Elon Musk's Neuralink Gets Approval For Human Trials (image: twitter.com/Eva McMillan)

Neuralink, a brain-chip startup started by Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday that it has received permission to begin the human trials.

For the clinical study, company is seeking patients with paralysis; “Have quadriplegia (limited function in all 4 limbs) due to spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)” and “are at least 22 years old” and “have a consistent and reliable caregiver” says in the brochure.

They add that the study will take approximately 6 years, but the number of participants are not revealed. Though Neuralink approached for human trials initially in the last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied the request on fast-track human trials. This year in May, they approved the company for investigational device exemption (IDE) allowing a device to be used for clinical studies.

“During the study, the R1 Robot will be used to surgically place the N1 Implant in a region of the brain that controls movement intention. Participants will be asked to use the N1 Implant and N1 User App to control a computer and provide feedback about the system,” the study brochure adds.

Neuralink is a neurotechnology company co-funded by Musk along with team of expert scientists and engineers in 2016. The major goal of the company is to advance implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) which can establish a direct connection between the human brain with computers or other with  external devices. Through merging human intelligence with artificial intelligence, it aims to improve human cognition and resolve neurological disorders.

However, Neuralink is not free from allegations. On December last year, Reuters reports that the company was under federal investigation for animal-welfare violations, rushing the animal tests, and causing “needless suffering and deaths.” And in February this year, CNBC reports that Neuralink hasd to face inquiry for “allegedly packaging and transporting contaminated hardware in an unsafe manner.”