A fifth patient with paralysis has received a Neuralink chip, which is backed by Elon Musk.
Known as RJ or the “P5,” this veteran suffered a spinal cord injury from a motorcycle accident, resulting in the loss of movement in his arms and legs.
After undergoing surgery in April at the University of Miami, where a small chip the size of a coin was implanted in his brain, RJ has gained the ability to operate his smartphone and computer using just his thoughts.
When speaking to NBC’s South Florida Station, RJ shared, “I think my favorite thing is being able to turn on my TV.” He is the first patient since the start of the program at Miami Hospital.
Neuralink, the brain-computer interface company founded by Musk, has collaborated with the Miami Project to explore treatments for paralysis.
Dr. Jonathan Jagged noted that early results have been promising, enabling patients to accomplish tasks they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
RJ was able to leave the hospital just one day after his procedure.
“They’re giving me my sparks back… I’m going to put my drive back. They’ve given me my purpose back. Now I can turn around and make that fire for the next person,” RJ remarked.
Neuralink has not yet provided comments regarding this case.
All participants, including RJ, have paralysis due to spinal cord injuries or ALS and are involved in a clinical trial that Neuralink initiated last year focused on advanced brain-computer interfaces.
These interfaces interpret electrical signals from neurons in the brain and convert them into computer commands. The closer the device is to the brain, the more accurately it can translate these signals, making implantation crucial.
Neuralink has ambitions to help patients recover both vision and speech.
“We hope to have our first human device implants later this year, aiming to assist those who are completely blind,” Musk stated at a March event in Wisconsin.
He added, “It starts at a low resolution, but over time, I think it’s going to be really cool because the implants ultimately allow for a superhuman vision.”
However, concerns about the safety of Neuralink’s implantation procedures have been raised by several agencies.
Specifically, the FDA has questioned the safety of the device’s lithium battery, the potential movement of small wires within the brain, and whether the device can be removed safely without causing damage to brain tissue, according to a report from Reuters in 2023.
A few months later, Neuralink received approval for its first human clinical trial.
