Elon Musk revealed that a third patient has received a Neuralink brain implant, part of a growing field connecting brains to machines.
He said all three patients are doing well, which is great news. Since the first implant about a year ago, they’ve made some upgrades. The new devices have more electrodes, better bandwidth, and longer battery life. Musk is aiming to implant these devices in 20 to 30 more people this year.
While he didn’t spill any details about the latest patient, he did share some cool updates on the others. The second patient, who has a spinal cord injury, has been playing video games and even learning to design 3-D objects. The first patient, also paralyzed, has been using it to play video games and chess.
Neuralink isn’t the only player in this game, though. There are tons of other companies and research groups working on similar tech. Last year, two studies in a major medical journal showed how brain-computer interfaces helped people with ALS communicate better.
There are over 45 trials happening right now in the U.S. focused on brain-computer interfaces. These efforts aim to help with brain disorders and injuries. Some labs have already shown that people can control computer cursors using these interfaces.
Neuralink’s approach is unique because they use a robot for the surgery, which is a first. This robot implants flexible electrode threads into the brain to record activity. But experts say it’s still too early to tell if Neuralink’s method is better than others out there.
Marco Baptista from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation thinks BCI tech is super exciting and could really help people with paralysis. He mentioned that it’s still early to know which approach will be the best.
Neuralink got the green light from U.S. regulators to start testing its device in people. Most medical devices don’t need clinical studies, but high-risk ones do. They need an investigational device exemption from the FDA, which Neuralink claims to have.
The FDA is involved in all steps of the process, ensuring safety is a priority. Plus, any research involving people needs to go through an ethical review board to make sure everything is above board. They check that there’s reasonable risk and benefit for the patients before they sign up.
