Recently, Elon Musk, the mind behind Tesla and SpaceX, revealed that a second person has been implanted with a Neuralink cybernetic chip.

During a podcast with computer scientist Lex Fridman, Musk shared details about this latest successful procedure.

“I’m cautious not to tempt fate, but it appears that the second implant has been extremely successful,” Musk commented. “There’s an abundance of signals and electrodes. It’s functioning exceptionally well.”

Musk described the future of Neuralink as having “massive” potential, forecasting that in the coming years, the company will significantly enhance the number of electrodes and refine the signal processing capabilities. These electrodes are crucial, as they gather brain signals, which are then sent to the device’s electronics to “process and wirelessly transfer the neural data to an instance of the Neuralink Application running on an external device, like a computer.”

According to Neuralink’s website, “Our brain-computer interface is entirely implantable, seamlessly hidden, and designed to give you the ability to operate a computer or mobile device wherever you are.”

The surgery for the second recipient was delayed in June because the initially designated patient could not proceed due to an undisclosed medical issue, as reported by Bloomberg citing Michael Lawton, CEO of the Barrow Neurological Institute.

Who was the first to receive a Neuralink implant?

Quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh was the pioneer human recipient of a Neuralink implant, undergoing the procedure earlier this year as part of a clinical trial.

Arbaugh, aged 30, shared with Bloomberg in May that the device has positively impacted his life, enabling him to play video games, chess, and browse the Internet effortlessly. Following a diving accident in mid-2016 that left him with a dislocated spine, he was still adjusting to life before the procedure.

“Once you experience it, it’s hard to stop using it,” Arbaugh expressed regarding Neuralink, according to Bloomberg.

However, Arbaugh faced some challenges during his experience with Neuralink.

“At times, I lost control of the cursor. I assumed they had made adjustments leading to that,” Arbaugh mentioned, as per Bloomberg. “But it turned out the threads were coming loose from my brain. Initially, they weren’t sure of the severity or the details.”

Like Arbaugh, Musk confirmed during the podcast that the second Neuralink recipient also had a spinal injury.

A ‘Simple Procedure’

Neurosurgeon Matthew MacDougall, who also participated in Fridman’s podcast, described the Neuralink implantation process as “a really simple, straightforward procedure.”

<p“The surgical part I handle is incredibly basic,” MacDougall stated. “It represents one of the most straightforward neurosurgery operations imaginable.”

During the operation, doctors make an incision on the scalp over the region of the brain responsible for “hand intentions,” according to MacDougall.

“If you’re a skilled concert pianist, this area of your brain is actively engaged throughout your performance,” he explained. “We refer to it as the hand knob.”

Even individuals with quadriplegia still visualize their finger movements, and this specific brain region remains active, as stated by the neurosurgeon.

Once the scalp is incised, surgeons elevate it “like opening a car hood,” create a circular opening about 1 inch in diameter in the skull, remove that piece of bone, and reveal the brain’s lining to the Neuralink robot, according to MacDougall.

“This is where the robot excels,” he remarked. “It can precisely place incredibly tiny electrodes, far smaller than human hair, into the cortex at exact depths and locations, avoiding any nearby blood vessels on the brain’s surface. After the robot finishes its task, the human surgeon returns to put the implant into the skull opening, securing it and closing up the scalp. The entire procedure lasts a few hours.”