Musk’s Neuralink Plans Speech Trial, Nonmedical Brain Implant

Neuralink Corp., Elon Musk’s brain implant company, plans to launch a clinical trial in the US in October aiming to use its device to translate thoughts into text, potentially opening up new possibilities for speech-impaired people to communicate.

The company also hopes to put its device in a healthy person by 2030, as Neuralink moves toward an eventual goal of creating consumer technology. It would be a massive expansion from the current activities of brain implant companies, which are testing devices only in people with severe medical conditions that make a risky brain surgery worthwhile.

“We’re currently envisioning a ...