Neuralink’s brain-computer interface device has encountered problems since it was implanted in its first human subject, according to the company owned by Elon Musk.
Some wires with electrodes from the device began to retract from the brain tissue of quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh about a month after using it. surgically implanted at the end of Januarywhich forces it to transmit less data, Neuralink wrote in a blog job Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal first reported about the malfunction that caused a reduction in the number of bits per second, a measure of the speed and precision of the patient’s ability to control a computer cursor with thought.
Neuralink compensated for the malfunction with several software fixes, resulting in a “rapid and sustained improvement in BPS, which has now exceeded Noland’s initial performance,” the company said.
The company is now focusing on improving text input for the device and cursor control, which it hopes to expand its use to include robotic arms and wheelchairs in the future.
Neuralink said in September it had received approval from U.S. regulators to recruit humans for the trial as part of an effort to use technology to help people with traumatic injuries operate computers with only their thoughts.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved testing of the device, which has not received the blanket regulatory approval necessary for widespread or commercial use of the technology.
