Elon Musk’s brain implant company, Neuralink, has announced that it has fixed issues pertaining to its first patient, Noland Arbaugh’s ability to move a computer cursor, which had been greatly reduced, Wired reported.
According to a blog post by Neuralink: “In the weeks following the surgery, a number of threads had retracted from Arbaugh’s brain, resulting in a net decrease in the number of effective electrodes. This led to a decline in the rate of data transfer.”
The Neurotechnology Company installed a brain chip in paralysed Arbaugh in January, becoming the first company to do so.
Shortly after the implant operation, Musk posted on X, sharing how Arbaugh could play chess and the videogame “Civilisation,” as well as take Japanese and French lessons by controlling a computer screen cursor with his brain.
Neuralink has shared that solving the issues has “produced a rapid and sustained improvement in bits per second that has now superseded Arbaugh’s initial performance.”
The drop in the implant’s efficiency was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The startup, cofounded by Musk in 2016, aims to build direct communication channels between the brain and computers.
The ambition is to supercharge human capabilities, treat neurological disorders like ALS or Parkinson’s, and maybe one day achieve a symbiotic relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.
