Neuralink Implant Issues: Elon Musk’s Company Faces Challenges in Human Trials

• Neuralink is developing brain computer interface technology that aims to enable disabled people to control computers, smartphones, robotic arms and wheelchairs just by thinking.
• Although Neuralink has received approval from the authorities to conduct clinical trials on human subjects, the technology is still being developed and there are many challenges to overcome, such as the long-term stability of the implant in the brain and the scalability used in a large number of patients.
• Neuralink, the company founded by Elon Musk, first implanted the chip in the brain of Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic.

The Neuralink chip has met its first problems after being implanted in humans, according to an announcement made by Elon Musk’s company, writes CBS News.

Some of the device’s electrical wires began pulling out of Noland Arbaugh’s quadriceps brain tissue about a month after he underwent surgery in late January. This incident caused a decrease in the amount of data transferred, he wrote Neuralink in Wednesday’s blog post.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the defect caused a reduction in bits per second, a measure of the speed and accuracy of a patient’s ability to control a computer cursor with thought.

Neuralink compensated for the glitch through several software updates, which led to “a rapid and steady improvement in BPS that has now surpassed Noland’s original performance,” the company said.

The company is now focusing on improving the device’s text input and cursor control, which it hopes to expand to include robotic arms and wheelchairs in the future.

Neuralink announced in September that it had received approval from US regulators to recruit people for the study as part of an effort to use the technology to help people with traumatic injuries to operate computers just by thinking.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved testing of the Neuralink chip, but has yet to receive regulatory approval for widespread or commercial use.

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