Neuralink has received approval to implant a brain chip in a second patient after fixing problems it encountered in the first human trial.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a second human trial and an update to the company's plan that involves implanting some of the device's very thin wires deep into the brain.
This month, Neuralink revealed that about 64 wires were disconnected from the first patient's brain, causing the chip to malfunction and effectively ending the trial that began in January.
Reuters reported that this problem was discovered through animal experiments many years ago.
Nolan Arbaugh became the first person to receive a brain chip after a car accident in 2016 left him unconscious from the shoulders down.
On May 8, Neuralink released an update on the progress of the Arbo file, announcing that it had been more than 100 days since the device was implanted.
The company also revealed that some of the wires attached to the chip may become loose a few weeks after surgery, which could lead to a decrease in the number of effective nodes.
A Wall Street Journal report said the problem was due to the initial surgery, which trapped air in Albu's skull, which if left untreated could lead to seizures, brain abscesses and death.
The newspaper also reported that the US Food and Drug Administration is allowing the company to continue treating the second patient.
The implant is approximately 0.955 inches in size and is equipped with electronics and a battery. The company inserts wires into the brain's motor cortex, the area that generates signals to control body movements.
Arbault told the newspaper that 15 percent of the tendons remained in his brain after the failure. The company was able to modify the algorithm to improve signal conversion without having to remove the chip.
Neuralink is testing an implant that could allow paralyzed patients to mentally use digital devices and potentially help people with spinal cord injuries.
Elon Musk is currently planning to implant a second patient in June, and expects up to 10 people to receive the chip this year.
The device allows Abbo to play video games, browse the Internet, and move the mouse cursor while thinking.
Neuralink also noted that shortly after the operation, Arbu broke the world record for pointer speed using his thoughts alone.
The company is currently working to raise mouse cursor control performance to the same level as healthy people.