In a recent blog post, Neuralink, the brain-computer interface company founded by Elon Musk, revealed challenges encountered during its first human trial involving patient Noland Arbaugh. The implant, designed to facilitate direct communication between the brain and computers, experienced issues that led to the loss of data due to some threads becoming dislodged from Arbaugh’s brain. While Neuralink did not disclose the specific reasons behind this occurrence, it addressed the problem after being questioned by The Wall Street Journal.
One potential factor explored by Neuralink was the presence of trapped air inside Arbaugh’s skull post-surgery, a condition known as pneumocephalus. Despite the setback, Arbaugh’s safety remained uncompromised, though the notion of removing the implant was considered. The retracted threads resulted in a reduction in bits-per-second, impacting Arbaugh’s ability to control a computer cursor with his thoughts. However, Neuralink implemented algorithm modifications to improve performance.
Despite these challenges, Neuralink successfully demonstrated Arbaugh’s ability to play chess and navigate his computer screen using the implant, showcasing significant advancements in brain-computer interface technology. While acknowledging anticipated hurdles with their inaugural human trial, individuals within Neuralink remain hopeful that solutions can be found to enhance future implants and expand capabilities for patients.
Neuralink has informed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of proposed fixes for the encountered issues and aims to implant two more patients pending a safety review. The FDA, responsible for approving Arbaugh’s surgery, continues to oversee implantation plans for Neuralink and similar ventures.
The N1 implant developed by Neuralink integrates various components within a compact container, including a processing chip, battery, and communication systems. Attached to the implant are 64 threads, each equipped with electrodes for reading neural signals from the brain’s motor cortex. Despite experiencing diminished data capture in late February, Neuralink engineers actively investigated potential causes and sought alternative solutions.
During an all-hands meeting in March, Arbaugh addressed Neuralink employees, expressing confidence in resolving challenges encountered during the trial. Despite setbacks, Neuralink achieved a successful live demonstration, showcasing Arbaugh’s ability to play computer chess via the implant. While retracted threads impacted data capture, recent performance metrics returned to levels observed before the issue arose, offering promising prospects for future developments in brain-computer interface technology.