Neuralink Brain Chip implant is being tested to help those with spinal cord injuries.
The project is in its second human trial phase and the company has shared that it is performing well.
A complication known as "thread retraction" was faced by first patient, Noland Arbaugh.
Elon Musk does a lot of things, X, Tesla, and a lot more. One such project that he has under himself is Neuralink. For those unaware, Neuralink is Musk’s brain technology startup. It has been working on a chip that will allow paralysed patients to control digital devices through thought alone. It has been in the news for a while, the project crossed its first human trial.
This technology is being tested to help those with spinal cord injuries. If successful, it will allow them to interact with digital devices using their thoughts. The first trial patient, Noland Arbaugh, who received the implant in January, has been able to perform tasks such as playing video games, browsing the internet, posting on social media, and even moving a cursor on his laptop with the help of this chip.
How’s Neuralink’s second patient doing?
Now, the project is in its second human trial phase and the company has shared that it is performing well. As per the company, the patient Alex has not experienced any complications such as “thread retraction”. This problem was faced by Noland Arbaugh.
So what happened with Arbaugh was that the tiny wires of the implant retracted after the surgery. This reduced the number of electrodes significantly that could effectively measure brain signals. This complication had initially raised concerns about the reliability of the technology. But Neuralink had shared that the threads have since stabilised. This has allowed for better performance and more accurate readings of brain activity.
Well, Neuralink was aware of this issue as it was first identified during the animal trial rounds, as per a Reuters report. To address it in the second trial, the company implemented several procedural changes. These included minimising brain motion during surgery and reducing the gap between the implant and the brain’s surface. Because of this Alex has not experienced the same complications yet.
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Mustafa Khan
Mustafa is new on the block and is a tech geek who is currently working with Digit as a News Writer. He tests the new gadgets that come on board and writes for the news desk. He has found his way with words and you can count on him when in need of tech advice. No judgement. He is based out of Delhi, he’s your person for good photos, good food recommendations, and to know about anything GenZ. View Full Profile
