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The second Neuralink implant recipient is already playing video games and using CAD software just a month after the BCI was implanted.
On August 22, Neuralink, the neuroscience company established by Elon Musk, provided an update on the progress of the second participant in its ongoing research, Alex.
He received the Neuralink implant in July after the company gained FDA approval for its second study in May. The surgery, performed at the Barrow Neurological Institute, was successful. Alex was discharged the next day and recovered without complications.
Neuralink’s Link implant is designed to improve control over digital devices for people with quadriplegia, enabling them to perform daily tasks independently. When Alex first connected his Link to a computer, it took less than five minutes to start controlling a cursor with his thoughts. Within hours, he surpassed his previous speed and accuracy records. On his first day using the Link, Alex broke the world record for BCI cursor control with a non-Neuralink device with the Link. He continued testing the device independently, even playing the first-person shooter game Counter-Strike 2.
Alex, a fan of first-person shooter games that typically require multiple inputs like dual joysticks and various buttons, used to rely on a Quadstick—a mouth-operated joystick with sensors for clicking and movement. Now, combining the Link with his Quadstick allows him to move and aim simultaneously, offering a more intuitive and seamless gaming experience.
Before his spinal cord injury, Alex worked as an automotive technician, focusing on vehicle and machinery repairs. After the incident, he wanted to learn 3D design using CAD software so that he could work more independently.
On his second day with the Link, he used Fusion 360 to design a custom mount for his Neuralink charger, which he 3D-printed and added to his setup.
Neuralink’s Previous Experiments
In January, Neuralink implanted its BCI chip in its first human participant, Noland Arbaugh, an Arizona resident who lost the use of his limbs following an accident. In Noland’s case, the company noticed some thread retraction that temporarily diminished his BCI performance.
However, the threads have since stabilized. Noland’s Link performance has improved, doubling the previous world record for BCI cursor control. To minimize the risk of thread retraction in the second participant, Neuralink introduced several precautions, such as reducing brain motion during surgery and decreasing the gap between the implant and the brain’s surface. The second participant has not experienced any thread retraction.
Update about the second Neuralink device in a human.
If all goes well, there will be hundreds of people with Neuralinks within a few years, maybe tens of thousands within 5 years, millions within 10 years, … https://t.co/opy1xj5JgF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 22, 2024
Neuralink, founded in 2016, is an American neurotechnology company exploring innovations in high-tech neurology. The company gained public attention in 2019 when it revealed its prototype, which involves ultra-thin probes inserted into the brain, a neurosurgical robot for the procedure, and a high-density electronic system to process neural data.
In September 2023, Neuralink began its first human trials, and by January 2024, the company successfully implanted a BCI device, Telepathy, in a human. This was part of the PRIME Study, which aims to evaluate the safety and functionality of the implant to enable people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts.
However, Neuralink’s journey has faced challenges. A Reuters report revealed that around 1,500 animals, mostly large mammals, died in the company’s lab during the development of its brain-computer interface technology.
