Elon Musk highlights Neuralink’s potential for restoring vision and hearing

In a recent post, Elon Musk linked a SpaceX milestone to Neuralink goals, expressing confidence in restoring hearing via direct stimulation of the auditory cortex-similar to the Blindsight’s wireless implant beams images to the visual cortex.

Blindsight earned FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in September 2024 and could see its first human implants late this year, beginning with low-resolution vision that might this year or early next, starting with low-resolution vision that may eventually surpass human levels.

Neuralink has already implanted its devices in over twenty paralysis patients, fueling optimism for broader sensory restorations despite ongoing challenges regarding long-term safety and regulatory hurdles.

In this connection, Musk said: “ I am confident that Neuralink will restore hearing, just as we will restore vision.”

The implant is designed to provide assistance to people with conditions such as a spinal cord injury. It has been observed that the first patient has used it to play video games, surf the internet, and post on social media. The company was efficiently working to begin human trials of its brain implant in 2024 after resolving concerns raised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which initially withheld approval in 2022.

Neuralink reached a major milestone in September, announcing that 12 people globally with severe paralysis have received its brain implants to control digital and physical tools. This progress follows a successful $650 million funding round in June. Neuralink remarkably formed a research-based startup into a large-scale manufacturer.