Neuralink implanted a brain chip in a second patient

Neuralink has implanted a brain chip in a second patient. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Businessman Elon Musk's Neuralink company has announced the successful implantation of a brain chip designed to enable paralyzed people to use digital devices with their thoughts in a second patient.

Reuters writes about this.

Neuralink is continuing to test a device designed to help people with spinal cord injuries. The chip implanted in the first patient allowed him to play video games, browse the internet, post on social media and move the cursor on his laptop.

As Musk said, the second participant was a person with a spinal cord injury similar to the injury of the first patient, who was paralyzed after being injured while diving.

The billionaire said that the second patient's brain has 400 implant electrodes. Neuralink specifies on its website that the implant uses 1,024 electrodes.

Musk did not share information about when Neuralink operated on the second patient, but noted that the company expects to provide implants to eight more people this year as part of clinical trials.

Recall that at the end of January 2024, the first person in the world was implanted with a brain implant developed by the Neuralink company of American businessman Elon Musk.

The first patient with the chip uses the Neuralink brain implant to play chess with a computer.

In addition to playing chess, the Neuralink implant also allowed him to play the video game Civilization VI for eight hours straight, after which he had to wait for the implant to charge. However, exactly how the implant charges is not yet known.

Neuralink chip: prospects for Elon Musk's startup

As   writes   Reuters, the chip uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit information to the brain and body.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration   allowed the company to conduct the first human trial of its implant, a major milestone in the startup's quest to help patients overcome paralysis and a host of neurological diseases.

In September, Neuralink announced that it had received approval for human trials.

The study uses a robot to surgically insert an implant into the area of the brain responsible for coordinating movement.

As Neuralink has previously reported, its goal is to allow people to control a computer cursor or keyboard using just their thoughts.

In June last year   Neuralink was valued at approximately $5 billion.

Neuralink in September   announced a recruitment of volunteers for clinical trials of implanting a chip in the brain, which can also be used to control prosthetics. Musk said that the company plans to create prosthetics as well.

According to him, the cost of such a service could be about $60,000.

As for obtaining permission for commercial use of the developments, Kip Ludwig, former director of neuroengineering at the US National Institutes of Health, estimated that it could take at least another 10 years.

Neuralink is an American company that develops brain implants that will become an interface for interaction between the human brain and an electronic device. The company, founded with the participation of Elon Musk, began its activities in 2016. It was presented in March 2017.