Neuralink's second brain implant procedure goes well, patient can now create 3D objects in CAD and play Counter-Strike



Neuralink , a brain implant company founded by Elon Musk, performed its second brain implant surgery in July 2024. On August 21, 2024, Neuralink reported an update on the second patient, revealing that the patient was designing his own 3D objects in CAD and playing the FPS game Counter-Strike .

PRIME Study Progress Update — Second Participant | Blog | Neuralink
https://neuralink.com/blog/prime-study-progress-update-second-participant/



Neuralink Says Second Brain Device Implant 'Went Well' - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-22/neuralink-says-second-brain-device-implant-went-well

Neuralink Patient Is Using His Brain Implant to Play 'Counter-Strike 2'
https://www.vice.com/en/article/neuralink-brain-implant-counter-strike-video-game/

Neuralink is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that connects the brain to a computer, aiming to improve the lives of patients with physical paralysis by implanting an implant in their brains. Neuralink's clinical trial using a fully implantable BCI is named the 'PRIME Study (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface)'.

The first clinical trial was successful in January 2024, and in March, a video was released of Noland Arbour, who had undergone surgery, operating a PC and playing chess just by thinking about it. In addition, a report 100 days after surgery showed that Arbour was able to play games such as Mario Kart in addition to chess, as well as browse websites and live stream.

The second patient in Neuralink's PRIME Study underwent brain implant surgery in July 2024. The patient, named Alex, underwent surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute , was discharged the next day and is recovering well.

Neuralink announces second successful brain implant surgery - GIGAZINE



It took Alex less than five minutes to connect the brain implant to his computer before he began controlling the cursor with his thoughts, and within a few hours he had surpassed the best performance he had achieved with any other assistive device when it came to clicking in the right place with the cursor.

Before his spinal cord injury in an accident, Alex worked as an automotive technician, repairing and customizing a variety of vehicles and large machinery. So on the second day after connecting the brain implant to the computer, he used 3DCAD's Fusion 360 to design a custom mount for the charger for the Neuralink device, printed it out on a 3D printer and mounted it on the setup.

In the video below you can see Alex using Fusion 360 to create a 3D object.

Alex Designs in Fusion 360 - YouTube


To the right of the laptop in the photo below is a custom mount for the charger that we designed in Fusion 360. Neuralink said, 'We hope that the brain implant will help people create in their areas of interest and expertise, and we're excited to work with more people to help them rediscover their passions.'



In addition, Alex used to play games by holding a joystick in his mouth, but this method did not allow him to perform the operations of 'moving' and 'aiming at the enemy' at the same time. However, by combining Neuralink's brain implant with a joystick, it became possible to perform these operations simultaneously.

In the video below, you can see Alex actually playing Counter-Strike. You can also see him defeating the enemies he encounters, and you can see that he is playing with the same accuracy as an average player.

Alex Plays Counter-Strike - YouTube


In the case of the first patient, Arbour, the implanted electrode threads became dislodged, temporarily reducing performance, but Neuralink implemented some mitigation measures in the second surgery, and Alex has not experienced any thread displacement so far.

Neuralink's electrode thread implanted in first patient's brain is only functioning 15% of the time, but FDA approves second human clinical trial - GIGAZINE



Musk addressed the announcement in a post on X, saying, 'If all goes well, we could see hundreds of people with Neuralink within a few years, tens of thousands within five years, and millions within ten years.'



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in Science,   Video,   Game, Posted by log1h_ik