Elon Musk’s brain-computer company, Neuralink, has announced that it successfully implanted its device into a second trial patient, Musk said on a podcast recently. Neuralink’s device is designed to give paralyzed patients and people with spinal cord injuries the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone.
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The device has so far allowed the first trial patient to play video games, browse the internet, post on social media, and move a cursor on his laptop. Musk provided few details about the second surgery. However, he noted that it went extremely well, stating that “there’s a lot of signal, a lot of electrodes”.
Neuralink expects to operate on a total of 10 patients this year as part of its Prime Study, Musk said on the podcast. Additionally, the company said that it has raised efforts to restore limb function in people with paralysis. This development addresses a different capability to what the device currently does.
Matthew MacDougall, the company’s head surgeon, said in the podcast that Neuralink made significant progress in sewing electrodes into the spinal cord as a potential workaround for a spinal cord injury. The company’s brain implant would interact with a spine implant to create muscle contractions in previously paralyzed arms and legs. MacDougall added that this approach has already proved successful in anesthetized animals.
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First trial patient’s experience
The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, also shared his experience on the podcast, stating that after he received his Neuralink implant in January, he can now think about what he wants to happen on the computer screen, and the device makes it happen. He added that this has given him some independence and less reliance on caregivers.
Following the surgery, Arbaugh faced some issues when the small implant wires retracted, resulting in a significant decline in the electrodes that could measure brain signals. However, Neuralink restored the implant’s ability to monitor Arbaugh’s brain signals by making changes that included modifying its algorithm to be more sensitive.
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