The first in-human brain implant from Neuralink has encountered an issue

On Wednesday, Neuralink, Elon Musk‘s business, revealed that a portion of its brain implant had malfunctioned after it was implanted in a patient for the first time.

A brain-computer interface, or BCI, developed by Neuralink has the potential to enable paralyzed individuals to operate external devices only with their thoughts. According to the company’s website, their technology, known as the Link, uses 1,024 electrodes spread across 64 «threads» that are as thin as a human hair to collect neurological impulses.

Neuralink implanted the device in Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old patient, in January as a part of a trial to evaluate its safety. In March, the business broadcast a live video of Arbaugh using the BCI, and in an April blog post, Neuralink reported that the procedure had gone «very well.»

However, Neuralink revealed in a blog post on Wednesday that some strands had pulled out of Arbaugh’s brain in the weeks that followed. As a result, there were fewer functional electrodes, which made it more difficult for the business to gauge the accuracy and speed of the Link.

As a remedy, Neuralink claimed in the blog post that it improved methods for converting signals into cursor movements, changed the recording algorithm, and improved the user interface. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the issue, claims that while Neuralink allegedly thought about removing the implant, Arbaugh’s safety has not been directly jeopardized by the issue. According to the article, Neuralink posted its blog post when the Journal questioned the business about the problem.