Neuralink faces challenge as implanted chip shows issues for the first time

Published May 10th, 2024 - 08:30 GMT
Neuralink faces challenge as implanted chip shows issues for the first time
Contacts connected to the brain, reading brain signals, studying intelligence and brain activity. A bald man with electrodes in his brain (Shutterstock)

ALBAWABA - The American neurotechnology company Neuralink, led by Elon Musk, has revealed in a ground-breaking move that unanticipated issues have arisen with the chip it placed in a human skull. This disclosure is the first incidence of this kind of setback since the company's founding.

The problem was caused by 64 connecting wires that were pulled out of Noland Arbaugh's brain tissue. This resulted in a decrease in data transfer between the battery and implanted processor that were within the skull. 

Neuralink guarantees that Arbaugh's health won't be jeopardized even with the decrease in processed data. The business emphasizes that it will keep working to find a solution and improve the operation of the gadget.

In the weeks after the surgery, Arbaugh, who had the chip implant on January 28, showed impressive improvement at first, being able to play chess just with his thoughts. But in late February, Neuralink announced a decreasing data collection from the chip, indicating the start of the problem.

This growth takes place against the background of Arbaugh's personal experience, since he suffered from limb paralysis from an accident that occurred over ten years earlier. In spite of the setback, on May 4th he demonstrated the chip's capabilities by playing a live game of chess using the implanted gadget.
 

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