The first guinea pig Neuralinkthe brain chip implant startup Elon Muskdeveloped a problem a few weeks after it was inserted.
In a blog post, the company revealed that several of the chip’s connective wires had retracted from the brain of Noland Arbaughwhat hampered speed and effectiveness of the implant data.
The company offered few details about the incident, but said it was able to make the implant more sensitive to further increase your performance.
Arbaugh, Neuralink’s first human patient, has been quadriplegic since 2016, following a diving accident. The chip was implanted in him in January as part of a test called PRIME Study, short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface.
The intention is to study the safety of the implant and surgical robot and test the functionality of its device, the company said in a 2023 blog post about recruiting trial participants.
Patients in the study have chips surgically placed in the part of the brain that controls intention to move. The chip, installed by a robot, records and sends brain signals to an application, with the initial objective of “grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using just your thoughts,” Neuralink previously explained.
About a month after the operation, Musk said Arbaugh could control a mouse computer with the brain after having the chip implanted.
Ultimately, Neuralink’s ambition is to use implants to connect human brains to computers to help, for example, paralyzed people control smartphones or computers or blind people regain their sight. Like existing brain-machine interfaces, the company’s implant would collect electrical signals sent by the brain and interpret them as actions.
Musk previously said the company’s first product would be called Telepathyadding that its initial users will be people who have lost use of members.
“Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a fast typist or an auctioneer. That’s the goal,” Musk wrote.
Consumers won’t have widespread access to technology anytime soon. Before Neuralink’s brain implants reach the broader market, they will need broader regulatory approval.
A Neuralink has already received FDA authorization (Food and Drug Administration), the US government body that authorizes human testing, and informed the agency about this new problem, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story.
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