The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has said that his brain-chip company, Neuralink, is now aiming for a revolutionary milestone, which is centered on helping blind people regain their sight. According to Musk, the company’s Blindsight implant is on track for human trials within the next 6 to 12 months, to restore vision by directly stimulating the brain’s visual cortex.
“Neuralink’s next milestone aims to restore sight to blind patients within the coming year,” Musk revealed in an X Spaces chat last week.
He added that the chip will stream camera input straight into the visual cortex, giving users the ability to see, even without functioning eyes or optic nerves.
This announcement follows Neuralink receiving “Breakthrough Device” status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That designation means the Blindsight chip is recognized as a potentially transformative medical device and is being fast-tracked for trials and approvals.
So far, animal tests have shown promising results. In one experiment, a monkey with the implant was able to visually interpret signals fed to its brain — an early version of artificial vision. Musk compared the results to viewing the world like an old-school video game: not high-resolution yet, but functional.
Unlike typical vision aids or eye surgeries, the Blindsight implant bypasses the eyes entirely. It sends camera signals directly into the brain’s visual center, allowing those who have lost their sight — even without working eyes — to potentially “see” again. This is possible as long as the visual cortex (the part of the brain that processes sight) is still intact.
The device is expected to launch its first human trial in late 2025 or early 2026, possibly starting in the United Arab Emirates, according to industry sources. But experts caution that early stages will likely provide only basic vision, like light and shape recognition, not full visual clarity. Long-term, Musk hopes the system could even let users see beyond normal human vision, including infrared or ultraviolet light.
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