Neuralink: Our First Transdural Procedure [video]
Neuralink demonstrates a transdural procedure where its surgical robot successfully implants a brain-computer interface (BCI) chip into a patient, marking a key step in the company's goal of enabling direct neural communication for medical applications.
Background
- A video by Neuralink (Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company) showing its first "transdural procedure" — a surgery that implants a device through the brain's protective outer membrane (dura mater) without penetrating brain tissue. This is less invasive than older implants.
- Neuralink's device aims to let paralyzed people control computers and phones with thought alone. The company has FDA approval for human trials and is testing on patients with severe spinal cord injuries.
- The video is notable for showing an unblurred human surgical procedure, marking a step beyond earlier animal demos and animations. It features Neuralink's robotic system that inserts ultra-thin electrode threads into the brain.
- Founded in 2016, Neuralink competes with Synchron and Blackrock Neurotech in the BCI space but emphasizes higher-bandwidth neural data — more electrodes reading more neurons — at the cost of a more complex surgical procedure.