Musk says next Neuralink brain implant expected soon, despite issues with the first patient

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Elon Musk's brain tech startup Neuralink and its plans to implant its second human patient within the next week or so. It also covers the challenges Neuralink faced with its first human patient, including hardware problems where only around 15% of the implant's channels are working.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Neuralink's Plans for Second Human Implant

1. What are Neuralink's plans for its second human implant?

• Elon Musk said during a livestream that Neuralink is hoping to implant its second human patient within "the next week or so."
• Neuralink's goal is to help patients by using breakthrough paralysis-control technology.

2. What is the status of Neuralink's first human implant?

• Neuralink implanted its first human patient, Noland Arbaugh, this winter.
• However, executives said that only around 15% of the implant's channels are working.
• Neuralink is making changes to address the hardware problems encountered with the first implant.

[02] Neuralink's Challenges with First Human Implant

1. What were the challenges Neuralink faced with its first human implant?

• Some threads from the implant retracted from Arbaugh's brain after the procedure.
• Neuralink considered removing the implant, but the problem hasn't posed a direct risk to the patient's health and safety.
• Even with only 15% of the channels functional, Arbaugh is able to use the BCI to watch videos, read, and play chess and other video games for up to 70 hours per week.

2. How is Neuralink addressing the retraction issue for future implants?

• Neuralink is working to mitigate retraction and measure it more closely.
• The company plans to sculpt the surface of the skull to minimize the gap under the implant.
• Neuralink also plans to insert some threads deeper into the brain tissue and track how much movement occurs.