A fifth paralyzed patient has been implanted with an Elon Musk-backed Neuralink chip.
Military veteran RJ, known as “P5,” sustained a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed in both his arms and legs.
Since his surgery in April, when a team of doctors at the University of Miami implanted a coin-sized chip into his brain, RJ has been able to control his smartphone and computer using only his mind.
RJ, also known as P5, speaks with NBC6 about his Neuralink brain implant.
“I think my favorite thing has been being able to turn on my TV,” RJ, the first patient to receive the chip at the Miami hospital, told NBC’s South Florida station.
Neuralink, the brain-computer interface company founded by Elon Musk, partnered with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis for the procedure — which has been declared a success by the lead surgeon.
“In its early stages, it’s been very successful at allowing them to accomplish goals they could not otherwise achieve,” said Dr. Jonathan Jagid, who led the surgery.
RJ was discharged from the hospital the day after the procedure.
“They’re giving me my spark back… my drive back. They’ve given me my purpose back. Now, I’m able to turn around and build that fire for the next guys that come through,” RJ said.
Neuralink did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
RJ and the other implant patients—all paralyzed due to spinal cord injuries or ALS—are participating in a clinical trial launched by Neuralink last year called PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface).
Elon Musk (center) with the University of Miami medical team who performed the procedure.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) read the electrical signals produced by neurons in the brain and translate them into computer commands. The closer the device is implanted to the brain, the more accurate this translation becomes—hence the need for the implantation procedure.
Neuralink has also announced plans to help patients regain eyesight or speech in the future.
“We’re hoping later this year to do our first device implant in a human, enabling someone who is completely blind to see,” Musk said during an event in Wisconsin this March.
RJ is the first patient at the Miami hospital to receive the Neuralink chip.
“It will start off low-res, but over time, I believe the implant will enable vision that’s superhuman—that will be really cool,” Musk said.
However, several agencies have reportedly expressed concerns about the safety of Neuralink’s implant surgeries.
The FDA questioned the safety of the device’s lithium battery, the potential for the implant’s tiny wires to migrate in the brain and whether the device could be removed without damaging brain tissue, according to a Reuters report in 2023.
It approved Neuralink’s first human clinical trial a few months later.
