Neuralink's 1st brain chip implant faces problem: Here's what happened and how Musk's firm overcame challenge

Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain-computer interface startup, revealed that the chip implanted in the brain of its first human patient, Noland Arbaugh, encountered issues a few weeks post-surgery. Arbaugh, a quadriplegic, had been able to play video and online games using his mind, thanks to Neuralink's implant, which enables computer control through thoughts.

However, in a recent blog post, Neuralink acknowledged a reduction in the amount of data received from the device. The company attributed this decrease to some of the implant's threads retracting. The Link system utilizes 1,024 electrodes spread across 64 threads thinner than human hair to record neural signals.

The retraction of threads severely impacted Neuralink's ability to measure the Link's speed and accuracy. However, the company did not specify the exact number of threads that retracted from the tissue.

"In response to this change, we modified the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to neural population signals, improved the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and enhanced the user interface. These refinements produced a rapid and sustained improvement in BPS (bits per second) that has now superseded Noland's initial performance," the company said in a blogpost on Wednesday.

In addition, Neuralink stated that despite the thread retraction issue, Arbaugh continues to utilize the company's system extensively. He reportedly uses it for approximately eight hours daily during weekdays and up to 10 hours a day on weekends.

The problem with the implant was brought to light by Arbaugh himself, as reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). According to the outlet, Neuralink contemplated removing the implant. However, as the problem hasn't directly jeopardized Arbaugh's safety, no such action has been taken yet.

Neuralink released its blog post in response to inquiries from the Journal regarding the issue. The device was initially implanted in January 2024, and Neuralink showcased a live video featuring Arbaugh in March of the same year. At that time, the company had expressed that the surgery had been highly successful.