- Elon Musk's company Neuralink is putting a brain chip in a second patient.
Elon Musk's medical technology company, Neuralink, has implanted a brain chip in a second patient. In a podcast over the weekend, Musk provided few details about the second participant, who is said to have a similar spinal cord injury as the first patient, who was paralyzed in a diving accident. Musk stated that 400 of the implant's electrodes were functioning in the second patient's brain. Neuralink's website claims that their implant uses 1024 electrodes.
Elon Musk: "It seems to be going very well"
"It's too early to tell, but it seems to be going very well with the second implant," Musk told podcast host Lex Fridman. "There's a lot of signals, a lot of electrodes. It's working very well." Musk did not disclose when Neuralink operated on the second patient. The Tesla CEO said he expects Neuralink to implant eight more patients in clinical trials this year.
Neuralink first implanted its brain chip in a human in January. However, the company initially faced a temporary issue with its first patient. The first patient is now able to play video games, browse the internet, and move a cursor. Long-term, Musk aims to use such chips to help people suffering from Parkinson's, dementia, or depression.
"Musk mentioned that the second patient, like the first, has a spinal cord injury, and the 400 functioning electrodes in their brain suggest a positive progression with the brain chip implant,"."In the near future, Musk anticipates implanting eight more patients in clinical trials, demonstrating Neuralink's commitment to advancing its technology for potential medical applications."
