Neuralink to Launch October Trial of New Brain-Computer Interface Enabling 'Thought-to-Speech' for People with Aphasia

IT Home, September 20 – Reuters published an article today (September 20) reporting that Neuralink, the brain-computer interface company under Elon Musk, plans to launch a new trial in October.Help aphasia patients directly convert language in their brains into text or speech.

Neuralink is a brain-computer interface company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, dedicated to enabling direct connections between the human brain and computers.

The company's president, Dongjin “D.J.” Seo revealed this week at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) that a new trial targeting patients with aphasia is scheduled to launch in October, aiming to help them directly convert their intended thoughts into text or speech, thereby bypassing input devices such as keyboards.

Seo explained that the system can capture signals from the human brain when a person “intends to speak,” enabling direct conversion “from brain to speech.” To accelerate development and regulatory approval, the device has received “Breakthrough Device” designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Note from IT Home: This designation applies to innovative medical devices that may provide significant improvements for life-threatening or debilitating conditions, thereby shortening the evaluation and review timeline. Neuralink did not respond to requests for further details.

Neuralink has been conducting human clinical trials since 2024. Its initial application was rejected by the FDA in 2022 due to safety concerns, but it later gained approval after improving its design and meeting regulatory requirements. The company states that 12 participants worldwide have currently received its implant, with a total usage time exceeding 15,000 hours, thereby accumulating a substantial amount of real-world data.

This brain-computer interface was initially designed primarily to help patients with motor impairments, such as those with spinal cord injuries, regain partial function. The first participant has already been able to play video games, browse the internet, post social media content, and control a laptop cursor using only their thoughts. This technology is now expanding into the realm of speech disorders, holding promise for providing new communication methods for patients suffering from stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other conditions.