Elon Musk’s Neuralink Seeks Second Participant for Groundbreaking Brain Implant Trial

Paralyzed Patient Operates Mouse with Thoughts Alone
Telepathic Cybernetic Brain Implant Surgery

Neuralink is Elon Musk’s brain science startup. Musk is recruiting a second participant to receive a computer chip implant in their brain. The patient with total paralysis is the target as the first participant.

On the 19th, Neuralink wrote on their X account, “If you have quadriplegia and want to explore new ways of controlling your computer, we invite you to participate in our clinical trial.”

They went on to explain that they are accepting applications from patients who have limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

According to CNN and Bloomberg, Elon Musk himself posted on his social media X account that Neuralink is looking for a second participant. It was revealed to be a “telepathy cybernetic brain implant that allows you to control your phone and computer just by thinking.”

In January, Neuralink implanted a brain-computer interface (BCI) device into the brain of the first clinical trial participant, Nolan Arbo. Arbo is a total paralysis patient who has been unable to use his arms and legs since suffering a cervical injury in a diving accident in 2016. About two months after the implant surgery in March, Arbo was able to manipulate a laptop’s mouse cursor without moving his hands or feet while sitting in a wheelchair. His gameplay of online chess was also live-streamed.

About five months after the implant surgery, some problems occurred. On the 8th, some threads connecting the implanted chip to the brain fell out or stretched a few weeks later, reducing the amount of data that could be collected from the brain. Neuralink has disclosed that this issue has been resolved.

After the Wall Street Journal first raised the issue, Neuralink acknowledged it on its company blog and shared the surgery’s progress.

Neuralink stated, “In the weeks following the surgery, a number of threads retracted from the brain, resulting in a net decrease in the number of effective electrodes. This led to a reduction in bits-per-second (BPS).”

A screenshot of a monkey brain experiment video posted by Neuralink on YouTube in April 2021. Courtesy of Neuralink YouTube