Neuralink’s Second Patient Is Already Playing Counter-Strike 2

Neuralink’s 2nd diligent is doing well, according to Neuralink, and is already utilizing the brain-computer interface spot to play Counter-Strike 2.

The Elon Musk-backed startup is implanting machine chips successful the brains of radical with spinal cord injuries. The transportation is that they’ll beryllium capable to interface with computers straight and power computers with their mind. The 2nd patient, who Neuralink called Alex, is already browsing the web, gathering worldly successful CAD bundle Fusion 360, and playing video games with the device.

Neuralink announced Alex’s advancement successful a blog station connected Wednesday that elaborate his experiences with the chip. According to the blog, Alex was an automotive technician earlier his spinal cord wounded and missed gathering things. On the 2nd time with Neuralink, helium designed a equine for his Neuralink charger successful Fusion 360 and had it 3D printed.

“I’m already ace impressed with however this works,” Alex said, according to Neuralink.

Neuralink besides shared a video of Alex playing a bot lucifer of Counter-Strike 2 with the device. He’s a instrumentality of first-person shooters and antecedently had to play them utilizing a Quadstick, a mouth-operated controller.

“Just moving astir is truthful enjoyable due to the fact that I tin look broadside to side, and not request to determination Quadstick near and right… I tin [think astir wherever to] look and it goes wherever I privation it to. It’s insane,” helium said.

Alex is the 2nd diligent to person a Neuralink this year. Musk and the institution introduced the satellite to Noland Arbaugh, the archetypal diligent utilizing the chip, to great fanfare successful January. Arbaugh said helium was fortunate to person received the attraction and celebrated being capable to power a machine with his caput by pulling an all-nighter playing Civilization VI. He played the crippled for 8 hours straight, draining the powerfulness connected his Neuralink.

There were complications. Some of the threads from the spot that surgeons implanted into Arbaugh’s encephalon retracted, resulting successful a information nonaccomplishment during connection betwixt the encephalon and the device. Neuralink said it was capable to compensate for this information nonaccomplishment by tweaking the programme moving the chip.

Neuralink said it was alert of this contented during Alex’s country and took steps to defender against it.

“To trim the probability of thread retraction successful our 2nd participant, we implemented a fig of mitigations, including reducing encephalon question during the country and reducing the spread betwixt the implant and the aboveground of the brain,” it said successful the blog station connected its website.

So far, Alex has not experienced thread retraction and its consequences.

Neuralink has shown committedness but has besides been controversial. Its co-founder near the institution and aboriginal told the Wall Street Journal helium was worried astir safety nether Musk’s tenure. The institution besides faced a national probe implicit allegations of carnal maltreatment but an probe only turned up 1 incident.