Elon Musk has been working on Neuralink for a while now. For those uninitiated, Neuralink is basically a sort of tech implant that Musk has been working on. Neuralink is trying to create a brain-computer interface (BCI), which will essentially help patients suffering from paralysis by using external technology just through their thoughts. The project saw some success and was even implanted inside a person for trial runs. Everything was going smoothly and well until the company revealed that a portion of the brain implant was malfunctioning.
The first chip was implanted in a 29-year-old patient named Noland Arbaugh’s brain. This was the beginning of the study. The study was going smoothly, videos surfaced where the patient was able to do tasks without moving. In April, Neuralink released a blog that revealed that things were looking positive.
Also read: Elon Musk’s Neuralink initiates human Brain Chip implantation: Here’s what happened
Everything was working well until Link saw a setback. The ‘Link’ is made up of an intricate network of 1,024 electrodes distributed across 64 ultra-fine “threads”. Each of these threads is finer than a human hair. A recent blog post by the company reveals that several threads within Arbaugh’s brain experienced retraction. This reduced the effectiveness of electrodes which was important for accurate signal measurement. It affects both – the chip’s operational speed and precision.
The company has not revealed the exact details of the issue but it has revealed that the company is currently working on modifications for the recording algorithm, interface enhancements, and refinements in translating neural signals into cursor movements. The company also assured that the patient is all good and well and he is still using Neuralink’s BCI for extensive periods.
