On Wednesday, Elon Musk’s startup Neuralink published a blog post admitting that its implant on a human quadriplegic’s brain had malfunctioned. The blog post detailed the implant, its issues, and its corrections. Neuralink posted the blog on its site after the Wall Street Journal asked the startup about the issues it faced.
In January 2024, Neuralink implemented its device in a 29-year-old test patient named Noland Arbaugh. In March, the startup streamed a live video showing Arbaugh using the BCI. In an April blog post, Neuralink said that the surgery to implant the device went “extremely well.” In May, the startup said its device faced malfunctions and resolved these issues.
Neuralink built a brain-computer interface (BCI) that helps patients with paralysis use only their minds to control computer systems. They called this system Link. According to the Neuralink website, it consists of 1,024 electrodes across 64 threads to record neural signals. These threads are thinner than human hair.
After the device was planted in Arbaugh’s brain, several threads retracted. This meant fewer electrodes, and Neuralink could not correctly measure Link’s speed and accuracy. The startup did not mention how many threads had retracted from brain tissue.
According to its blog post, Neuralink dealt with the issue by modifying the recording algorithm, enhancing the user interface, and working to improve techniques for translating signals to cursor movements.
Neuralink noted that Arbaugh was using the BCI system from Neuralink for about eight hours daily and 10 hours on weekends or some days.
Neuralink’s BCI must undergo extensive safety and efficacy testing before receiving commercial approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Neuralink is not the only company that has developed BCI. Other companies working on similar BCI devices include Paradromics, Blackrock Neurotech, and Synchron.
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