Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Making Changes in Second Volunteer To Avoid Implant Detachment Issues

Elon Musk's Neuralink is ready for the following volunteer to be implanted with its brain-computer interface.

Elon Musk's Neuralink Is Making Changes in Surgical Procedure For Second Volunteer

The Neuralink founder gave an update about its experimental brain implant. Musk announced in a video update on Wednesday that the company is changing the surgical procedure for its second volunteer to avoid the issue that the first volunteer encountered. The subsequent surgery is happening in "the next week or so."

Noland Arbaugh, the first human user of Neuralink's brain implant, encountered a problem when the implant partially detached from his brain a few weeks after the surgery. According to Musk, Neuralink wants to avoid the same issue with its second research subject. He added that they wanted to ensure they made as much progress between each patient as possible.

During the video update, company executives admitted that Arbaugh's post-operative air trap may have contributed to the threads' emerging. Neuralink's head of Neurosurgery, Matthew MacDougall, stated that the organization is working to remove this air pocket in the second volunteer. Additionally, it intends to track the threads' movement and inject them deeper into the brain tissue.

They assume that inserting the threads deeper is the most obvious way to mitigate their removal from the brain. They will expand the range of depths at which they insert threads.

Furthermore, to reduce the space beneath the implant and ensure that it rests flush with the natural contour of the skull, the company's surgeons intend to "sculpt the surface of the skull" to minimize the gap under the implant, put it closer to the brain and eliminate some of the tension on the threads, per MacDougall.

Musk stated he intends to implant Neuralink's gadget in research participants this year, specifically in the "high single digits." He did not provide a timeframe for when that device will be ready for human testing, but he did say that Neuralink is developing a next-generation implant with 128 threads, each with eight electrodes per thread. He adds that this change will potentially double the bandwidth if they place the threads accurately.

ALSO READ: Neuralink's First User Admits He Wasn't Aware Implant Thread Could Pull Out From Brain, Was Initially Worried But Not Anymore

What Did the First Neuralink User Say About the Brain Implant Device?

Arbaugh, the first Neuralink user, had the implant earlier this year. According to him, it made him "more independent."

Not only did it make his life easier, but it also relieved the burden of caring and waiting for him round-the-clock on those in his immediate vicinity. He experienced "less burden" and "less helplessness."

When questioned about Neuralink's update on a blog post concerning removing some implant threads with dotted electrodes from his brain, he admitted that he was unaware it was possible. He thought it wasn't observed in any of the animal experiments.

They claimed it was very different from what he had heard and that one of the experiment's monkeys may have experienced it. It was not anticipated that he would go through.

Arbaugh admitted that he feared situations when more threads would come loose, and the implant might stop functioning altogether. He brought up the matter with Neuralink, and they assured him they had not seen any indication that it might occur.

RELATED ARTICLE: Elon Musk's Next Neuralink Project Is 'Blindsight'; Implant for Blind People Already Working in Monkeys

Check out more news and information on Neuralink in Science Times.