All about Elon Musk
The startup Neuralink declared this Wednesday (8) that part of its first brain implant placed in a human patient “malfunctioned” weeks after the surgical procedure.
In January, Elon Musk’s company successfully implanted the device called Link in a 29-year-old man for testing. It records neural signals using 1,024 electrodes and 64 “wires” thinner than a human hair.
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In March, a video was released that showed a patient named Noland Arbaugh trying out features of the implant, which could eventually help people with paralysis control external devices with their mind.
- Weeks later, it was confirmed that some strands had retracted from Arbaugh’s brain tissue.
- This decreased the number of effective electrodes, hampering the ability to accurately measure system parameters.
- According to information from CNBCNeuralink considered removing the implant, but the issue does not pose a safety risk.
- To overcome the problem, the company chose to modify the data recording algorithm and is working to improve signal translation techniques, says a post released this week.
It is worth noting that the Neuralink brain chip has already allowed the patient to play chess and even video games with the power of thought. But, apparently, the company still has a long road of safety and efficacy testing ahead before receiving the green light from health authorities to commercialize the technology en masse.
