Elon Musk’s brain implant startup Neuralink has announced that it experienced a problem after inserting the implant for the very first time.
The company didn’t provide in depth details but said its implant malfunctioned which hindered the speed and effectiveness of the chip.
Neuralink said in a blog that the subject Noland Arbaugh had fewer effective electrodes as a number of threads have retracted from the patient’s brain.
Neuralink Modified The Algorithms
The blogpost also mentioned that it modified the algorithm and has worked to improve techniques for better transmission of signals.
According to Wall Street Journal, who first reported the problem, the company thought to stop the trial but the issue didn’t pose any threat to Arbaugh.
Arbaugh’s Story
Arbaugh, a quadriplegic since a diving accident in 2016, became Neuralink’s inaugural human patient in January under the PRIME Study, which stands for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface.
The company has seen breakthroughs while working with Arbaugh but this was the first time they got into an issue.