Elon Musk and his Neuralink company's attempt to begin testing brain chips in humans has been rejected by the FDA, according to a report by Reuters.

The request was submitted to the agency last year but according to Reuters, the FDA identified several problematic factors with the technology, including the chip's lithium battery and the potential for small wires to move to other areas of the brain.

"Neuralink doesn't appear to have the mindset and experience that's needed to get this to market anytime soon," Kip Ludwig, former program director for neural engineering at the U.S. National Institute of Health.

There was also a concern of whether or not the chip could be removed without inflicting damage to brain tissue.

What Exactly Is Neuralink?

Musk has claimed the technology could be life-changing for people suffering from paralysis, enabling them to communicate and walk, or it could help repair visual impairment in people.

The chip is supposed to process brain signals that are then transmitted to a device. While human trials for Neuralink have not commenced, there have been versions of the tech that reportedly had some success in animals. However, the company faced pushback and a probe from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after animal cruelty concerns were raised.

Last month Neuralink admitted that at least one monkey was euthanized because of a surgical complication.

Share:
More In Business
How Landlines Lost the American Public
During AT&T's widespread outage Thursday, landline phones were a working alternative — which most of the U.S. does not have. Over half of Americans are estimated to have ditched landlines altogether.
Ending the Black Maternal Morbidity Crisis
Jade Kearney Dube, Founder & CEO of She Matters talks the Symptom Tracker app, cultural competency for healthcare providers, and being a Black woman CEO looking for funding.
The Future of Bit Mining
Ahead of April’s planned BitCoin halving, Bitfarms CEO Geoff Morphy shares why he thinks the crypto rally will continue, plus why you’ll see a broader adoption of clean energy for mining.
The Fed’s Rate Cuts Will Be ‘Surgical’
Lara Rhame, FS Investments chief U.S. economist, discusses the recent market highs, how the job market is in a ‘good place,’ and why rates staying higher for longer might not be a bad thing.
Load More