Elon Musk's brain chip firm Neuralink has announced that it has received FDA approval to begin conducting human studies.
The company did not provide details on the goals of the study, or when the trials will begin, but said it was not yet recruiting.
Musk has said he hopes his devices will one day help with several conditions, including obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia, as well as enabling web browsing and telepathy.
Neuralink, founded in 2016, has been the subject of several federal investigations.
In December last year she was reportedly investigated for alleged animal welfare violations in her work, allegations she has denied.
A total of 1,500 animals died in four years, according to a report, leading to internal complaints that animal testing was being rushed - causing unnecessary suffering and death.
Musk increased pressure to speed up development, staff said, leading to flawed experiments that had to be repeated.
In one case, 25 pigs were reportedly implanted with the wrong size device.
Neuralink hopes the implant it's developing will help paralyzed people walk again — and cure other neurological problems.
