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Elon MuskStartup Neuralink said Wednesday that part of its brain implant malfunctioned after implanting the system into a computer. human patient first time.
Neuralink has built a brain-computer interface, or BCI, that could eventually help paralyzed patients control external technology with just their minds. The company’s system, called Link, records nerve signals using 1,024 electrodes on 64 “threads” thinner than a human hair. website.
In January, Neuralink device implantation in a 29-year-old patient named Noland Arbaugh as part of a study to test its safety. Company streamed a video live with Arbaugh when he used BCI in March and Neuralink spoke in a April blog post that the surgery went “extremely well.”
But in the weeks after the procedure, some fibers withdrew from Arbaugh’s brain, Neuralink said in a report. blog posts Wednesday. This means there are fewer effective electrodes, which has limited the company’s ability to measure the speed and accuracy of the Link.
Neuralink did not disclose how many fibers were pulled out of the tissue. The company did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
As a workaround, Neuralink said it has revised the recording algorithm, enhanced the user interface and worked to improve the techniques for converting signals into cursor movements, the blog post said. Neuralink reportedly considered removing the implant, but the issue did not pose an immediate risk to Arbaugh’s safety, according to Wall Street Journal, who previously reported on the issue. According to the report, Neuralink shared the post on its blog after the Journal asked the company about the issue.
Although some fibers had receded from Arbaugh’s brain tissue, Neuralink said he was using the company’s BCI system about eight hours per weekday and often up to 10 hours per day on weekends.
According to the blog post, Arbaugh said Link was like a “luxury overload” and that it helped him “reconnect with the world.”
Neuralink is not the only company building BCI systems, and the technology has been explored in academic settings for decades. Neuralink still has a long way to go in safety and effectiveness testing before receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to commercialize the technology.
