Elon Musk revealed details about the second patient with the implant
Elon Musk had been recruiting and looking for a volunteer to receive the Neuralink implant for some time. The first attempt was unsuccessful, but a second volunteer was quickly found. The device implantation operation was successful.
Second patient with implant
Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has successfully implanted its device in a second patient. Musk shared this information in a podcast hosted by computer scientist Lex Fridman.
I don’t want to jinx it, but it looks like the second implant went very well. Lots of signal, lots of electrodes.
– Musk said on the podcast.
The first implant was implanted seven months ago in 30-year-old Noland Arbaugh. The patient suffered from quadriplegia, which he had acquired while diving. The device made it easier for him to function. Unfortunately, the implant encountered difficulties and the experiment ultimately failed. The company made many improvements to the implant algorithm and spent some time looking for a volunteer for further testing. As you can see, they found one.
But this is not the end of the plans. Neuralink is thinking about operating on a total of 10 patients this year. According to experts, the company has made significant progress in restoring limb function in people with paralysis.
We’ve made great progress in sewing electrodes into the spinal cord as a potential workaround for spinal cord injury. The brain implant would work with the spinal implant to cause muscle contractions in previously paralyzed arms and legs, and Neuralink has already demonstrated this in anesthetized animals, moving their legs during the procedure, something like walking.
– said Matthew MacDoughall, Chief Surgeon of Neuralink.
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