Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company, is preparing to place its implant on a second patient, despite its device malfunctioning during its first test.
In January, Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old quadriplegic man, became Neuralink’s first human patient. Since then, he has been able to control a computer mouse with his mind, and even play games online with his friends. The company even released a video in which he demonstrates his new capabilities.
However, Noland Arbaugh’s implant suffered an anomaly a few weeks later, with the company ensuring that it posed no danger to the patient. A correction was even submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American drug monitoring body, which accepted it.
A malfunction in the first implant
N1, Neuralink’s first implant, is made up of 64 external wires, each thinner than a human hair. They are inserted into the motor cortex of the brain to relay neural signals. Problem is, the majority of these wires became detached in Noland Arbaugh’s brain, preventing him from reading the electrical signals necessary to translate his thoughts.
The company made software modifications to the device to allow the patient to successfully regain functionality of the device. However, only 15% of the wires remain connected to his brain.
To prevent this phenomenon from happening again, Neuralink proposes implanting the wires eight millimeters into the brain, compared to three to five millimeters for Arbaugh. A solution accepted by the FDA, paving the way for additional human testing. Last week, Elon Musk announced that the company was accepting applications for a second patient.
Many volunteers
With his technology, Elon Musk wishes to participate in the treatment of several pathologies, whether paralysis, blindness, or even certain psychological illnesses such as depression. Thus, Neuralink is already preparing to implant a second person from June. The firm aims to increase this number to ten during the year.
More than 1,000 people with quadriplegia have enrolled in Neuralink’s patient registry, although fewer than 100 of them qualified for the study. The start-up is also looking to test its implant on a diverse set of individuals to study various behaviors.
Source : The Wall Street Journal
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