On Wednesday (8th local time), Musk's brain computer interface company Neuralink Corp. reported the latest situation of the first brain implant patient, stating that some of his brain implants had malfunctioned, resulting in a decrease in the amount of data captured from his brain.
According to the latest blog article published by the company, some data has been lost due to the detachment of some electrode wires implanted in the brain. Neuralink did not reveal why some electrode wires unexpectedly contracted.
According to professional analysis, the occurrence of this problem may be due to the electrode wires being connected to devices located inside the skull, rather than directly connecting to the surface of brain tissue. They pointed out that brain tissue undergoes significant movement within the intracranial space, while traditionally, brain implant devices are placed directly on the surface of brain tissue and can move like boats on water. Therefore, the detachment of the line is not a normal phenomenon in brain implantation devices.
It should be noted that the brain is a fairly complex organ, with at least 86 billion neurons, each with thousands of connections, forming a huge network. Neuralink's brain computer interface device is an invasive brain implant that controls external devices through neural signals, helping severely paralyzed patients recover their ability to communicate with the outside world.
The 64 wires of Neuralink's N1 implant (brain computer chip), which ultimately entered clinical practice, are thinner than hair strands and are covered with 1024 electrodes that can directly connect neurons and record neural activity. That is to say, this device can simultaneously monitor the activity of up to 1024 channels of neurons, although this is only one billion times the total number of neurons in the human brain.
It is understood that the name of the first participant is Noland Arbaugh, who is currently 29 years old. He suffered a spinal cord injury in an accidental diving accident eight years ago and underwent nerve connection surgery in January. The surgery went smoothly, and he was discharged from the hospital the day after the surgery. In March, this quadriplegic man was already able to play video games and online chess with his own mind.
However, now many wires have fallen out of Arbaugh's brain, which means there are fewer effective electrodes, limiting the company's ability to measure the speed and accuracy of its brain computer chips. Neuralink did not disclose how many threads have fallen out of the brain.
As a solution, Neuralink stated that they have modified the recording algorithm, enhanced the user interface, and made efforts to improve the technology of converting signals into cursor movement. According to reports, Neuralink has considered removing the implant, although this issue has not yet posed a direct risk to Arbaugh's safety.
Currently, Neuralink is seeking to implant their devices in more human subjects. Any malfunction may cause delays in the approval process of the US Food and Drug Administration.