The medical technology company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, "Neuralink," has implanted a brain chip in a human for the first time.

Musk said on his online platform "X" on Monday that the patient is recovering well after the procedure that took place on Sunday.

Musk posted: "The initial results show promising discoveries for neural stimulation."

It is noted that this step by Neuralink is designed to enable people to control their smartphones using their thoughts, as well as operate other technologies.

In May, Neuralink obtained a license to use the flat, circular implant in a clinical trial with humans, after it had previously been tested on monkeys.

The implant contains 1024 electrodes, and a robot connects it to the brain using a very fine needle.

For the clinical trial, Neuralink was looking for patients suffering from quadriplegia, meaning paralysis in the legs and arms. When people start to move, a certain part of the brain becomes activated.

The electrodes pick up these signals and are assumed to be sufficient to imagine movement to operate a cursor on a computer, for example.

Even with successful operations, patients may need months to learn how to control the computer using their thoughts. Neuralink’s clinical trial is designed to last for six years.

Research on brain-computer interfaces of this kind has been conducted for years, and various implants have already been installed in some people. Neuralink also has many competitors who also hope to commercially use the technology.