Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has successfully implanted the chip in a second patient, who is already able to utilize it for playing Counter-Strike 2.
In July, Neuralink disclosed that it conducted a surgical procedure on its second patient, Alex. The surgery was successful and Alex was released the next day. As stated in a blog entry on the company’s official website, his recuperation has been without any complications.
According to reports, Alex has been conducting individual tests on the implant’s capabilities and is currently utilizing it to play the popular first-person shooter game Counter-Strike 2. He expressed his satisfaction with the performance, stating, “I am thoroughly impressed with how well this operates.”
In a YouTube video released by Musk’s Neuralink, Alex impressively demonstrated his in-game skills by successfully defeating incoming NPCs.
Neuralink stated that thanks to the Link, he has been enhancing his gaming skills and also acquiring knowledge about utilizing computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating 3D objects.
“As soon as Alex connected his Link to his computer, he was able to control a cursor with his mind in less than 5 minutes. In just a few hours, he surpassed his previous maximum speed and accuracy achieved with any other assistive technology while completing our Webgrid task.”
On his first day, Alex was able to break the previous world record for brain-computer interface (BCI) cursor control using a non-Neuralink device, according to the brain-computer company.
The blog post revealed that Alex, a former automotive technician, had sustained a spinal cord injury. He is the second patient to receive an implant from Elon Musk’s startup, following Noland Arbaugh, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down and received the implant in January 2024.
Arbaugh gained attention earlier this year for his ability to play chess and share updates on social media using only his mind. In an interview on the Joe Rogan podcast, he described the implant as a “cheat code”for gaming.
The procedure on Alex is said to have effectively prevented a problem that Arbaugh also experienced, in which electrode threads unexpectedly retracted from his brain.
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