Elon Musk has announced that his neurotechnology company Neuralink plans to give brain chip implants to eight more patients in 2024. This is after the successful implantation of the device in the second patient. Neuralink’s device is designed to help paralyzed patients use digital devices by just thinking.

In a podcast released on Friday, Musk said the second patient suffered a spinal cord injury similar to the first patient. The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, who was paralyzed in a diving accident, was able to play video games, browse the Internet, post on social media and move the cursor on his laptop using the implant. According to Musk, the second patient’s implant, which has 400 electrodes, is also working well. Neuralink’s website states that a total of 1,024 electrodes have been used in the implant.

“I don’t want to sound ominous, but it seems to have gone pretty well with the second implant,” Musk told podcast host Lex Fridman. “There’s a lot of signals, a lot of electrodes. It’s working pretty well.”

The first patient, Arbaugh, also shared his experience on the podcast. Before receiving the implant in January, he had to use a stick in his mouth to tap the screen of a tablet device. Now, with the implant, he can control the computer screen by simply thinking about what he wants to do, which has significantly increased his independence and reduced his dependence on caregivers.

Initially, Arbaugh faced some problems when the small wires of his implant retracted, reducing the number of electrodes measuring brain signals. This problem, first identified in Neuralink’s animal tests, was solved by making the algorithm more sensitive. Arbaugh has since improved his world record for the speed of controlling the cursor with his thoughts, even with only 10-15 percent of the electrodes working.

Musk did not reveal the exact timing of the second patient’s surgery, but said Neuralink aims to add eight more patients to its clinical trials this year. The goal is to continue testing and improving the device to help people with spinal cord injuries gain better control over digital devices and their environments.