Slobodan Stevic

NEWS: @Neuralink has provided its first comprehensive update since successfully implanting its brain chip into a second human recipient. "Last month, Alex, the second participant in our PRIME Study, received his Neuralink implant. Alex was discharged the following day, and his recovery has been smooth. With the Link, he has been improving his ability to play video games and began learning how to use computer-aided design (CAD) software to design 3D objects. This marks another significant step towards providing a high-performance interface that will enhance the control of digital devices for people with quadriplegia to help restore their autonomy. From the first moment Alex connected his Link to his computer, it took less than 5 minutes for him to start controlling a cursor with his mind. Within a few hours, he was able to surpass the maximum speed and accuracy he’d achieved with any other assistive technology on our Webgrid task. Similar to Noland, our first participant, Alex broke the previous world record for brain-computer interface (BCI) cursor control on day one of using the Link. After the first research session concluded, Alex continued testing the capabilities of the Link independently, using it to play the first-person shooter game Counter-Strike 2. Alex enjoys building things. Before his spinal cord injury, he worked as an automotive technician, fixing and tinkering with various types of vehicles and large machinery. Since then, he has wanted to learn how to design 3D objects using computer-aided design (CAD) software so he could work on projects without needing to rely extensively on his support system. However, the level of control offered by his assistive technologies made this challenging. On day two of using the Link, Alex used the CAD software Fusion 360 for the first time and managed to design a custom mount for his Neuralink charger, which was then 3D printed and integrated into his setup. We are working with Alex to increase his productivity with the Link by mapping intended movements to different types of mouse clicks (e.g., left, right, middle), thereby expanding the number of controls he has and enabling him to quickly switch between various modes in CAD software (e.g., zoom, scroll, pan, click-and-drag). 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. To reduce the probability of thread retraction in our second participant, we implemented a number of mitigations, including reducing brain motion during the surgery and reducing the gap between the implant and the surface of the brain. We discussed these measures in greater detail in our live update prior to our second participant’s surgery. Promisingly, we have observed no thread retraction in our second participant. More info: neuralink.com/blog/prime-stu…