Following initial complications, Neuralink has updated its “Link” device. These adjustments not only resolved post-operative issues but also enhanced digital control capabilities for the quadriplegia patient.
In our increasingly digital world, access to technologies became crucial to can integrate socially and professionally. But this poses big problems for disabled people who, for example, suffer from quadriplegia. The latter often feel cut off from society. Neuralink, one of Elon Musk’s many companies, wants to help these people with its innovative device, “Link”. This advanced system aims to radically transform the way these individuals interact with the digital world, giving them more autonomy and freedom.
In early 2024, Neuralink implanted the “Link” device in Noland Arbaugh at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona. Prior to this surgery, he used an oral stylus to interact with his devices, which limited his movements and required assistance from a caregiver. Thanks to that brain-machine interfaceNoland can now control his computer mouse, browse the Internet and play video games like chess or Civilization VI, and this only by thought. But despite this initial success, complications later arose.
Neuralink could soon make it possible to control a robotic arm
A few weeks after implantation of the device, complications emerged: some wires pulled out of Noland’s brain and reduced the effectiveness of the electrodes. In response, Neuralink has modified the algorithm signal processing and improved techniques for translating neural impulses into cursor movements. These adjustments not only restored the initial performance of the “Link” but also improved it. They offered Noland increased precision in controlling their digital devices.
For the future, Neuralink plans to extend the capabilities of the “Link” to control robotic arms and wheelchairs. This advance brings the company closer to the creation of a cyborg, long reserved for science fiction. But before dreaming, these advances could one day allow people with severe disabilities to overcome their physical limitations.
Source: Neuralink