Elon Musk’s Neuralink Blindsight device approved by FDA to restore vision for the blind

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that Neuralink, his brain-chip startup, has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a trial implant device that could "enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see."

"The Blindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see. Provided the visual cortex is intact, it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time," the tech mogul tweeted early Wednesday.

He further explained that "to set expectations correctly, the vision will first be at low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential to be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge."

In the tweet, Musk also shared a photo of Geordi La Forge, a character from the sci-fi TV show Star Trek, who was born blind but uses technological aids that allow him to see.

Neuralink confirmed the FDA approval and stated that Blindsight has been awarded the Breakthrough Device Designation by the regulatory body.

The FDA’s Breakthrough Device Designation is granted to certain medical devices that offer treatment or diagnosis for life-threatening conditions, with the aim of accelerating their development and review process.

This announcement about the new Neuralink device follows Musk’s previous statement that the startup plans to offer brain chip implants to eight more patients this year.

These implants are intended to allow paralysed individuals to control digital devices through their thoughts alone.