Neuralink Corp. announced,It has officially received approval from Health Canada and will proceed to conduct in-depth research on the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system.

As a BCI technology developer strongly backed by Elon Musk,Neuralink Officially Launches Its First International Clinical Trial: The CAN-PRIME Study.This study will comprehensively evaluate the company’s independently developed, fully implantable wireless BCI system, which represents a further advancement based on the ongoing PRIME study in the United States.

Neuralink emphasized that the launch of this study represents a “critical step in the pioneering development of BCI technology, which holds the promise of fundamentally transforming the quality of life for patients with neurological disorders worldwide in the future.”

Consistent with the PRIME study, the primary objective of the CAN-PRIME study is to verify the safety of the Neuralink implant and surgical robot. Additionally, the study will preliminarily explore the functionality of the BCI system (named “Telepathy”), specifically assessing its ability to enable patients with quadriplegia to directly control external devices through thought. To this end, Neuralink has specifically opened this trial to Canadian residents who have limited or lost hand function due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or cervical spinal cord injury.

It is worth noting that Neuralink successfully completed its first human brain-computer interface (BCI) implantation surgery in January this year. In a subsequent nine-minute live demonstration, the subject, Noland Arbaugh, successfully moved a computer cursor and played online chess using the Neuralink BCI system. Additionally, the company disclosed details regarding another human implantation procedure that had been planned for implementation last summer.

The implant features an intricate design, supports wireless charging, and is equipped with electrode-woven threads capable of penetrating deep into brain tissue for precise signal transmission. Additionally, Neuralink has independently developed the R1 robot to assist in the implantation of the BCI system, ensuring precise avoidance of blood vessels during surgery and further enhancing procedural safety and accuracy.