Neuralink participant with spinal cord injury plays Counter-Strike 2 using brain-computer interface

Neuralink, the brain-computer interface (BCI) company founded by Elon Musk, has shared some exciting updates about their second PRIME study participant, who goes by Alex. Unfortunately, this automotive technician became quadriplegic after a spinal cord injury and just recently got his Neuralink implant at the Barrow Neurological Institute.

Now, get this — pretty much right after hooking up his Link device to a computer, Alex could control an on-screen cursor just by thinking about it. And just a few hours in, he was already exceeding the performance he’d gotten using regular assistive tech, even breaking the world record for BCI cursor control all in his very first day.

Alex adapted incredibly quickly to the Link, letting him dive into activities that used to be tough or even impossible. He managed to play Counter-Strike 2, a first-person shooter game, using the Link alongside a Quadstick — that’s a joystick specifically designed for quadriplegics that you operate with your mouth. This combo allowed him to simultaneously move and aim in the game, something he couldn't do with the Quadstick alone.

On his second day with the Link, Alex got crafty and used Fusion 360, a computer-aided design (CAD) program, to whip up a custom mount for his Neuralink charger. They even 3D-printed his design and added it to his setup. Neuralink is gearing up to boost Alex's control options even more by mapping his intended movements to different kinds of mouse clicks. This should make it easier for him to use complex software.

Neuralink has also made some tweaks based on lessons learned from their first participant, Noland Arbaugh. To address some issues of thread retraction that Noland experienced, they cut down on brain movement during the surgery and closed the gap between the implant and the brain’s surface for Alex. So far, it looks like Alex hasn’t had any of those problems.

Looking ahead, Neuralink is working on algorithms to recognize handwriting intent, which should speed up text entry, plus they’re expanding controls to give him full mouse and video game controller capabilities. These advancements aim to help people with mobility issues regain their independence in the digital world, and might even allow those who can’t talk due to neurological conditions like ALS to communicate better.

As Neuralink keeps fine-tuning its BCI tech, the company is getting closer to its dream of improving how humans interact with machines and making life a whole lot better for folks with neurological challenges.

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