“This is bad”: Elon Musk’s Neuralink Implant Malfunctions in Patient’s Brain

• Neuralink, the company making brain implants, has revealed that one of its chips malfunctioned in the patient after surgery
• The company disclosed that some of the electrode-studded threads sitting on the brain tissue failed 
• Neuralink said it has since fixed the problem, and the patient can now do what he could not do before the surgery

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.

Neuralink, the neurotechnology company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said the device implanted in its first patient malfunctioned weeks after surgery.

The company stated this on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in an update on the experiment after 100 days of the implant on the patient, Noland Arbaugh, who was disabled due to an accident.

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Experiment proves successful

Neuralink disclosed that some of the electrode-studded threads sitting on the brain tissue failed weeks after the surgery in January.

The development resulted in the device malfunctioning, leading to Neuralink carrying out some fixes, which produced a rapid and sustained improvement in the patient.

Reports say the company disclosed that the experiment with the patient has been successful, as he has been able to do many things he could not do before the surgery.

The company said:

“In the weeks since his surgery, Noland has used the Link to control his laptop from various positions, including lying in bed.

“He plays online computer games with friends (Chess, Civilization VI), browses the internet, live streams, and uses other applications on his MacBook, all by controlling a cursor with his mind.

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“He has even used the Link to play Mario Kart on a Nintendo Switch console — something he had not been able to do since his spinal cord injury,” Neuralink said in the update.

Neuralink also revealed that it working on improving text entry for the device and the cursor control. 

Neuralink shows quadriplegic playing chess with brain implant

Legit.ng previously reported that Neuralink on Wednesday streamed a video of its first human patient playing computer chess with his mind and talking about the brain implant making that possible.

Noland Arbaugh, 29, who was left disabled from the shoulders down by a diving accident eight years ago, told of playing chess and the videogame "Civilization" as well as taking Japanese and French lessons by controlling a computer screen cursor with his brain.

Musk's neurotechnology company installed a brain implant in its first human test subject in January, with the billionaire head of Tesla and X touting it as a success.

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Source: Legit.ng