Neuralink founder Elon Musk has unveiled ambitious plans to introduce brain chips to millions of people over the next decade. Musk predicts that with favorable developments, the number of individuals with implanted Neuralink chips could reach hundreds in the near future, tens of thousands within five years, and millions within the next ten years.
Recently, it was revealed that a second successful implantation of a brain chip was performed on a patient with a spinal cord injury. Musk highlighted the high effectiveness of the device. Earlier reports from The Wall Street Journal indicated that Neuralink had received the necessary permissions from American authorities.
Neuralink is planning to implant more patients as part of clinical trials by 2024. The first Telepathy chip from Neuralink was implanted in January in Noland Arbo, who suffers from lower extremity paralysis and limited hand mobility. The device enabled him to control digital devices through the power of his thoughts. In a March demonstration, Arbo was shown playing chess on a laptop by mentally moving the cursor.
However, a month after the operation, the patient experienced issues with the implant malfunctioning. The problem was attributed to brain movement, causing a shift in most of the implanted threads. The company was able to resolve this issue through software modifications, restoring the chip’s functionality.