Neuralink has successfully implanted its brain chip in a second patient, as confirmed by Elon Musk. This device, designed to assist paralyzed patients in using digital devices through thought alone, is currently undergoing testing.
Neuralink’s device targets individuals with spinal cord injuries. The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, who was paralyzed in a diving accident, has been able to play video games, browse the internet, post on social media, and move a cursor on his laptop using the implant.
The second patient, also with a spinal cord injury similar to Arbaugh’s, now has the implant functioning with 400 out of its 1,024 electrodes active.
Musk discussed this during an eight-hour podcast with Lex Fridman, where he expressed optimism about the procedure’s success, despite not disclosing the exact timing of the second surgery. “I don’t want to jinx it but it seems to have gone extremely well with the second implant,” Musk told podcast host Lex Fridman. “There’s a lot of signal, a lot of electrodes. It’s working very well.” Musk expects to implant the device in eight more patients this year as part of clinical trials.
Arbaugh’s Journey with the Neuralink Implant
Arbaugh, who also appeared on the podcast along with three Neuralink executives, detailed his experience with the implant. Before receiving the device in January, Arbaugh used a stick in his mouth to interact with a tablet screen. The implant now allows him to control the computer screen with his thoughts, granting him a degree of independence and reducing his reliance on caregivers.
However, Arbaugh initially faced challenges when the implant’s wires retracted, reducing electrode functionality. Reuters reported that Neuralink was aware of this issue from its animal trials. Neuralink resolved the problem by adjusting its algorithm to be more sensitive, restoring the implant’s ability to monitor brain signals. Despite only 10-15% of the electrodes working, Arbaugh has improved his previous world record for cursor control speed using thoughts alone.
Musk’s Vision for Neuralink’s Future
Musk also revealed ambitious goals for Neuralink. He predicted that within a year or two, a person with a Neuralink implant could outperform professional gamers due to faster reaction times.
He explained that the long-term goal of Neuralink is to enhance AI-human symbiosis by increasing a person’s capacity to communicate at high volume. Without such enhancement, AI will get “bored” waiting for people to communicate at a few bits per second while AI can do it at terabits per second. “It’s like talking to a tree,” Musk said.
Neuralink’s primary focus remains on addressing neuron damage in the spinal cord, neck, or brain, as seen in the company’s initial patients. However, Musk indicated that once the risks of brain implants are proven to be low, the company may look to augment people without neurological issues, potentially giving them superhuman abilities. Neuralink already plans to augment people with neuron damage, providing them with a “communication data rate” exceeding typical human capacity.
The company also envisions improving human vision, potentially allowing people to see in different parts of the spectrum like ultraviolet or infrared.
Neuralink’s N1 brain-computer interface, about the size of a quarter, records and transmits neural activity using over 1,000 electrodes distributed across ultra-thin filaments. Despite the challenges, Musk remains optimistic about the transformative potential of Neuralink’s technology.
Featured Image courtesy of Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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