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Elon Musk’s brain implant technology company, Neuralink, is advancing its efforts to provide “cybernetic superpowers” to individuals. The company is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to assist patients through breakthrough technology. Neuralink’s first BCI device, named “Telepathy,” consists of 64 “threads” thinner than a human hair, inserted directly into the brain’s motor cortex to record neural signals via 1,024 electrodes. This device is designed to enable paralyzed individuals to have control of a computer (and other devices) using only their thoughts.
On July 10, Musk provided an update on the company’s progress during a live 𝕏 broadcast (video below), revealing plans to implant “Telepathy” to a second human patient within “the next week or so.”
In January, Neuralink successfully implanted its first BCI, referred to as “Link,” in a 29-year-old patient named Noland Arbaugh at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, who has been paralyzed with quadriplegia since a 2016 swimming accident. This procedure was part of an FDA-approved clinical study. In April, the company said the surgery went “extremely well,” Neuralink later disclosed that some threads from the implant retracted from Arbaugh’s brain. Although this issue did not pose a direct health risk. Arbaugh says the implant has changed his life in a positive way. Neuralink shared that “he plays online computer games with friends (Chess, Civilization VI), browses the internet, live streams, and uses other applications on his MacBook, all by controlling a cursor with his mind. He has even used the Link to play Mario Kart on a Nintendo Switch console — something he had not been able to do since his spinal cord injury.”
“During his first-ever research session, Noland set a new world record for human BCI cursor control of 4.6 BPS. He has subsequently achieved 8.0 BPS and is currently trying to beat scores of the Neuralink engineers using a mouse (~10 BPS).”
Despite only 15% of the channels in the Link implant being functional, he has been able to use the BCI for up to 70 hours per week. Prior to having the Link, his primary digital interface was by using a mouth-held tablet stylus pen to click on the screen, that had to be put in his mouth by a caregiver. The company has shared amazing videos of Arbaugh playing video games using “Telepathy,” as shown in the video below.
Redefining the boundaries of human capability requires pioneers.
— Neuralink (@neuralink) May 16, 2024
If you have quadriplegia and want to explore new ways of controlling your computer, we invite you to participate in our clinical trial. pic.twitter.com/svqfAkVV1M
— Neuralink (@neuralink) July 10, 2024
Musk is optimistic about the future potential of Neuralink’s technology. In a recent social media post, he suggested that amputees using the BCI device could potentially move prosthetic limbs faster than before their limb loss. Additionally, he said that Neuralink’s device could eventually allow users to control Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, with their thoughts.
Neuralink aims to help humans merge with AI and develop applications for treating or curing paralysis and restoring sight to the blind. The company plans to market these technologies as “Telepathy” and “Blindsight.” During a live broadcast, Musk described Blindsight as a product that could enable those who are completely blind to regain their vision, even if they have lost both eyes or their optic nerve.
“Our second product demonstrated to work with monkeys is ‘Blindsight,’ which would enable someone who is completely blind, lost both eyes, or completely lost their optic nerve, to be able to see,” shared Musk during the live 𝕏 broadcast.
The company acknowledged the partial detachment of the experimental Link device from Arbaugh’s brain a few weeks post-surgery, and expressed hopes to increase the number of participants testing the device to “high single digits” by the end of the year. To mitigate retraction risks, Neuralink is taking steps such as sculpting the skull for better implant fitting, inserting threads deeper into the brain, and eliminating air pockets left post-surgery.
Neuralink president DJ Seo highlighted plans to monitor retraction more closely, and Dr. Matthew MacDougall, head of neurosurgery at Neuralink, mentioned that future threads will be inserted at varying depths.
Neuralink continues to develop its technology, working towards an improved device that could potentially double the current model’s bandwidth. The company remains committed to enhancing the safety and efficacy of its implants as it prepares for the next phase of its ambitious journey.
Author’s note: Thanks for reading Cosmic Chronicles. Write your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have story suggestions or feedback, Direct Message me on social media 𝕏: Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo @JaneidyEve. Read the most recent stories featured below. Thank You.
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