Neuralink: Implant had issues after first human op

In a setback for Elon Musk's brain technology company, Neuralink Corp, the device it implanted in its first human patient has had mechanical issues, the company wrote in a blog post. In the weeks following the Jan surgery on patient Noland Arbaugh, some of the electrode-studded threads that sit in the brain tissue began to retract from that tissue, the company said, resulting in the device not working properly.

Neuralink said it compensated for that retraction through a series of software fixes, which "produced a rapid and sustained improvement that has now superseded Noland's initial performance". It is currently working on improving text entry for the device as well as cursor control - and that it eventually aims to extend to the use of physical world devices such as robotic arms and wheelchairs.

People who work in the brain-implant field said the complications may've arisen from the fact that the threads connect to a device that sits within the skull bone, rather than on the surface of the brain tissue. "Just nodding your head or abruptly moving it can lead to perturbations of several millimetres," said a neurosurgeon.