Brain-computer company Neuralink, a startup founded by Elon Musk, achieved a milestone by implanting its device into the skull of a second human patient.
What Happened: According to Reuters, Musk shared on a podcast that the second patient, like the first, suffers from a spinal cord injury. The implanted device intends to help the patient control devices with his mind.
He disclosed that 400 of the implant’s electrodes are functioning in the second patient’s brain. The device is equipped with 1,024 electrodes in total.
Musk did not specify when the surgery took place. The company plans to provide implants to eight more patients this year.
The first recipient, Noland Arbaugh, discussed his experiences on a podcast alongside three Neuralink executives.
Before receiving the implant in January, Arbaugh used a stick in his mouth to operate a tablet. With the Neuralink device, he can now control his computer screen merely by thinking, Reuters noted.
Arbaugh initially faced complications when the implant’s tiny wires retracted, reducing the number of functional electrodes.
Neuralink, aware of this issue from animal trials, adjusted the implant’s algorithm to enhance sensitivity.
Despite only 10-15% of the electrodes working, Arbaugh has set a new world record for the speed at which he can control a cursor with his thoughts.
Controversy: The Neuralink project received a fair share of criticism and scrutiny after reports surfaced that monkeys were dying or being euthanized during testing phases.
"I read a lot of the negative stuff about this before the surgery — about all the terrible things that [the company was] putting the monkeys through and how awful it was, monkeys like picking out their implant and rubbing it on the ground and all sorts of stuff," Arbaugh said earlier this year.
Despite the disturbing images and reports, both Neuralink and Argbagh have defended the trial outcomes.
The company acknowledged the euthanization of several animals. It attributed the loss of limbs to inter-monkey aggression rather than to the effects of the technology or testing conditions.
Musk insists, "No monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant.”
To minimize risk to healthy monkeys, Musk says Neuralink “chose terminal monkeys (sic) (close to death already)."
Competition: In June, Neurotech startup Paradromics announced its plans to conduct human trials of its own brain implant.
The company, founded before Neuralink, specializes in the competitive brain-computer interface (BCI) market and competes with Neuralink.
Paradromics has also conducted trials on animals.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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