Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, revealed that it has placed its device in the second human trial subject. The therapeutic application of the technology is for paralyzed patients to manipulate electronic devices using their thoughts.
Neuralink has a model called the N1 implant that has an electrode array of 1,024 units located on 64 thread-like structures. In the second implantation, Musk said he was hopeful that it would be successful due to the good signal received and the numerous electrodes that were actively performing their duty. However, he did not mention the second surgery schedule and only said that it was done after June due to the patient’s health.
Neuralink’s expectation is to conduct surgeries on ten people this year. The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old quadriplegic who lives in Bloomington, Indiana, has had his implant since early this year. He had been a quadriplegic due to a diving accident at the young age of 15. Arbaugh, after receiving surgery in January this year, has figured out ways of using the Neuralink device, such as video gaming and playing chess online. Speaking of the technology, he received 9 minutes of live streaming on X (formerly Twitter) where he showcased moving his chess pieces on a laptop screen and controlling an iPod music player through a connection.
Neuralink only started recruiting participants for the clinical trial last fall and was originally looking for individuals affected by paralysis caused by cervical spinal cord injury or ALS. The current procedure, called the PRIME study, involves the R1 robot implanting the N1 devices into target brain areas as it records electrical signals from the subject’s brain, which are relayed to a smartphone app.
While initially denying the request, the FDA permitted Neuralink human clinical trials last year while a federal probe into the company’s animal testing was ongoing. Some of the documents showed that during the early stages of the implant project, around 1,500 animals perished. Musk has referred to the device as a “Fitbit in your skull,” although with a small bone implant housing a chip with thin, threaded electrodes penetrating the brain.
After getting the nod from the FDA to involve people in experiments, Neuralink obtained $280M in venture capital.
