Elon Musk advised podcast host Lex Fridman on Saturday that Neuralink’s mind chip has been implanted in a second affected person as a part of early human trials. The corporate has not but revealed when the surgical procedure will happen, nor the identify of the recipient, in keeping with the corporate. Reuters.
Musk stated that 400 of the 1,024 electrodes implanted within the second affected person’s mind have been functioning usually. “I do not wish to jinx it, but it surely seems prefer it’s going very properly,” he stated. “There’s numerous indicators, numerous electrodes. It really works nice.”
The system permits individuals with spinal wire accidents to play video video games, use the Web and management digital units utilizing simply their ideas. In Could, the corporate introduced it was “accepting trial functions for a second participant” following FDA approval.
Nolan Arbaugh, the unique Neuralink implant affected person, described the process as “tremendous straightforward.” In a demo, the corporate confirmed how Abo might transfer a cursor round a laptop computer display screen, pause an on-screen music system, and play chess and Civilization VI.
Abo himself participated in a marathon podcast with Musk and Friedman. He stated the system helped scale back his dependence on caregivers by permitting him to realize something on a pc display screen just by pondering.
Nevertheless, issues arose shortly after the surgical procedure when a number of the electrodes retracted from his mind. Later, this drawback was partially corrected by modifying the algorithm to make the implant extra delicate. Neuralink advised the FDA that in the course of the second surgical procedure, it should place the implant’s threads deeper into the affected person’s mind to forestall them from shifting as a lot as they did in Abo’s case.
Neuralink has beforehand examined its implants on animals, together with chimpanzees, and a few of its testing practices have been the topic of a federal investigation.
Regardless of these points, the corporate stated greater than 1,000 volunteers have been enrolled within the second surgical trial. Musk stated he expects Neuralink to have its chips implanted in as much as eight sufferers by the tip of 2024.