Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain implant company reached a key milestone and was approved by the FDA for human trials.
Here is a timeline of the company's history:
July 2019: Neurosurgeon Matthew MacDougall, MD, was hired to help develop Neuralink's robot.
August 2020: The Neuralink surgical robot was introduced during a presentation about the company.
A Neuralink brain chip was shown to work in a pig, CNET reported Aug. 29, 2020.
February 2021: Neuralink was tested on a monkey, who received a chip in its skull, CNBC reported.
Human trials haven't started, but Mr. Musk said the company is working with the FDA to ensure implant safety in a tweet Feb. 1.
May 2021: Co-founder and president Max Hodak announced he left the company. He and Mr. Musk founded Neuralink in 2016.
August 2021: Neuralink received $205 million in funding from investors including Vy Capital, Google Ventures, Valor Equity Partners and Craft Ventures. Previous investors included PayPal's co-founder Ken Howery, and Blake Byers of Byers Capital.
February 2023: Elon Musk's brain implant company, Neuralink, was under investigation over allegations it unsafely packaged and transported materials with infectious pathogens at research facilities at the University of California Davis.
May 2023: Elon Musk's Neuralink recieved FDA approval for human trials, according to a May 25 tweet. Neuralink hasn't opened recruitment for clinical trials yet, but details are expected soon, the company said. The next day, The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine released a statement urging Elon Musk and his company Neuralink to pivot clinical trials to focus on noninvasive brain-interface options.