Neuralink, the brain technology startup spearheaded by Tesla boss Elon Musk, on Thursday said that the second brain implant surgery was a success. Alex, the second recipient of the Neuralink chip, was discharged from Barrow Neurological Institute next day.
He is now able to play video games and is learning software to create 3D designs. The brain chip allows the paralysed patients to use tech devices by just thinking.
Unlike Noland Arbaugh, who was the first recipient of the Neuralink chip, Alex did not show any issued of "thread retraction," the company said.
“With our first participant, Noland, we observed a degree of thread retraction that temporarily reduced his BCI performance. The threads have stabilized, and the performance of Noland’s Link has since recovered — more than doubling the prior world record for BCI cursor control,” Neuralink said.
The brain tech startup is planning to test the devices that will focus on people with spinal cord injuries. So far, the chip has helped the recipients in playing video games, post on social media, web browsing among other things.
On its future plans, the company said, “. We are also developing algorithms to recognize handwriting intent to enable faster text entry. These capabilities would not only help restore digital autonomy for those who are unable to use their limbs, but also restore the ability to communicate for those who are unable to speak, such as people with neurological conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).”
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