Blind Korean YouTuber volunteers for Musk’s Neuralink vision trial
Blind YouTuber Kim Han-sol, known as OneshotHansol, announces his application for the Neuralink "Blindsight" clinical trial in a video uploaded Feb. 7. Captured from OneshotHansol's YouTube channel
A popular blind Korean YouTuber has volunteered for the pioneering human clinical trials of an experimental vision-restoring brain implant led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Kim Han-sol, who runs the YouTube channel OneshotHansol, which has 1.68 million subscribers, announced his application for the cutting-edge neurotechnology trial.
A video detailing his application went viral three weeks after it was uploading on Feb. 7.
In the video titled "They asked if I could come to the U.S., so I said yes. Clinical trial planting a chip in the brain," Kim confirmed his intent to join the medical experiment.
The trial centers on Blindsight, an advanced brain-computer interface developed by Neuralink.
The company — founded by Musk and eight scientists and engineers in 2016 — has been pushing for the development of implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCI).
The brain chip allows visually impaired individuals to perceive the world through a camera mounted on special glasses, working in tandem with a chip implanted in the brain.
The implant is designed to help even those who have completely lost their eyesight.
The system will initially provide low-resolution vision, but is designed to achieve high-resolution sight over time.
Neuralink's "Blindsight" technology / Captured from The Tesla Space's YouTube channel
Viewers were divided over the announcement, offering a mix of encouragement and safety concerns.
Many supporters expressed hope that Kim would regain his sight, while others raised concerns about the inherent dangers of clinical trials.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.