Neuralink Advances to Second Human Implant as It Prepares for IPO

Wall Street News

　　Elon Musk also revealed that Neuralink aims to implant its device into a “high single-digit” number of patients this year. Neuralink had previously stated that the surgery on its first patient went very smoothly; however, in the weeks following the procedure, some threads retracted from the patient’s brain. Media reports indicated that this issue did not pose a direct threat to the patient’s safety.

　　On Wednesday, Elon Musk stated that his brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, aims to implant its system into a second human patient within the next week or so. He further revealed that the company hopes to implant its device into a “high single-digit” number of patients this year.It remains unclear when and where these surgeries will be performed.

Neuralink is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to help paralyzed patients control technological devices, such as smartphones or computers, using their brains. The company’s first system, named Telepathy, centers on 64 “threads” inserted directly into the brain. These threads, finer than human hair, record neural signals via 1,024 electrodes.

Academia has conducted decades of research on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Several other companies are also developing their own systems. To date, no BCI company has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commercialize its devices.

In January this year, as part of an FDA-approved clinical study, Neuralink implanted its brain-computer interface (BCI) into its first human patient, 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh.

　　Neuralink stated in April this year that the surgery had gone very smoothly. However, in the weeks following the procedure, Neuralink reported that some of the implant’s threads had retracted from the patient’s brain. Media reports indicated that Neuralink had considered removing the implant, but the issue did not pose an immediate threat to the patient’s safety.

　　Elon Musk and Neuralink executives stated on Wednesday that only about 15% of the channels in the first patient’s implant were functioning properly. Even so, he continues to use the brain-computer interface (BCI) to watch videos, read, play chess, and engage in other video games, with weekly usage sometimes reaching as high as 70 hours.

Neuralink Corp executives stated that the company is undergoing adjustments to mitigate hardware issues encountered in its first human participant. For upcoming implants, the company indicated it is working to reduce retraction and conduct more precise measurements:

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