Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company, has successfully implanted its N1 chip into a second human patient. Musk shared the news on the Lex Fridman podcast, expressing optimism about the procedure’s success and the implant’s functionality.
The second patient, who has a similar spinal cord injury to Neuralink’s first human patient, currently has about 400 of the implant’s 1,042 electrodes operational. While less than half of the electrodes are functioning, this is still a significant improvement over Neuralink’s first patient, who only has about 10-15% of the electrodes working.
Despite the limited functionality of his implant, Neuralink’s first patient has been able to control a computer mouse and play video games using only his mind. This demonstrates the potential of the technology to help people with disabilities regain lost functionality.
Neuralink Head Neurosurgeon Matthew MacDougall described the N1 implant surgery as “one of the most basic neurosurgery procedures imaginable.” He expressed optimism about the future of robotic surgery, noting that Neuralink’s current surgical robot will eventually be able to adapt to changing situations as well as a human surgeon.
While Neuralink is initially focused on helping people with disabilities like paraplegia or quadriplegia, the company hopes to expand its scope in the future. Musk has expressed interest in using the implant to “cure” blindness and address other illnesses like schizophrenia and seizures.
Musk also mentioned that Neuralink may implant the N1 chip into eight more human patients this year.
