Musk’s Neuralink says 12 people have received its implants

(Reuters) -Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink said on Tuesday that 12 people worldwide have received its chips.

This marks an increase from a prior announcement in June, when its partner Barrow Neurological Institute said that seven individuals with severe paralysis had received Neuralink’s implants and were using them to control digital and physical tools through thought.

Collectively, the patients have had their devices for 2,000 days and accumulated over 15,000 hours of use, Neuralink said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday.

In July, Neuralink said it will launch a clinical study in Great Britain to test its chips, partnering with University College London Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals to conduct the research.

The company secured $650 million in a funding round in June.

Neuralink began human trials in 2024 on its brain implant after addressing safety concerns raised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which had initially rejected its application in 2022.

(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi)