Elon Musk’s Neuralink reports trouble with first human brain chip
Elon Musk’s Neuralink reports trouble with first human brain chip
It's unclear what caused the retraction or how many threads have become displaced.
The first invasive brain chip that Neuralink embedded into a human brain has malfunctioned, with neuron-surveilling threads appearing to have become dislodged from the participant's brain, the company revealed in a blog post Wednesday.
It's unclear what caused the threads to become "retracted" from the brain, how many have retracted, or if the displaced threads pose a safety risk. Neuralink, the brain-computer interface startup run by controversial billionaire Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Ars. The company said in its blog post that the problem began in late February, but it has since been able to compensate for the lost data to some extent by modifying its algorithm.
The company said in its blog post that the problem began in late February, but it has since been able to compensate for the lost data to some extent by modifying its algorithm.
Because that's what people are worried about: THE LOST DATA.
When a computer reads some signal, the 0s and 1s in it's memory is the data. The data must be processed so that the computer can understand it.
This computer is using threads to read neuron activity. It must necessarily receive data because if it didn't it wouldn't be reading neuron activity. They're the same thing.
This data is processed so that the computer can make sense of the brain. Once it understands some activity it generates signals that can control external devices.
Here's an example. Imagine a device that monitors the heart and does something to fix a problem. The device would get data on the heart and process the data so that it can perform it's function.
Wouldn't monitoring health concerns and mitigating data loss be extremely important in these scenarios?
The point is that this is the opening paragraph about something going wrong in human brain surgery, and the first thing they tell us is "don't worry, the data's fine", rather than anything about the human. Indeed, you have to read to the last paragraph to find:
Arbaugh's safety does not appear to be negatively impacted.
TY! My first thought was he was this poor sweet guy who just wanted to play Civ and fell for this grifter
Have they tried firing most of the neurons, keeping only the most hardcore?
I can't believe anyone willingly got this after the monkey testing thing. They have to be taking advantage of people not fit to make decisions for themselves.
The patient became quadriplegia in a car accident, I wouldn't call it unfit for decisions but definitely someone desperate to find a sense of normalcy.
Not many options I guess. Sucks to have to gamble on the crazy billionaire with a lot of faulty shit.
I can believe people took up on this offer. As the saying goes drowning man will reach for straws. Issue is they probably oversold reliability and safety.
I don't know which company I would trust developing my brain implant, but it sure as hell isn't Tesla. Their software and hardware history is less than stellar.
It's ok, there's still other companies to choose from. Twitter can develop your brain implant instead!
Have you considered upgrading to the Ultra Premium Deluxe Version? For just 99.99- a month, you can actually use what you bought!
I mean it's too early to trust anyone with this new technology
For stellar technology you need to go to SpaceX. You've been shopping at the wrong Musk store.
Musk store
Welcome to the Musk store! Go over to customer service and get your brain implant. Then you can start shopping and your Neuralink will know what items you put in your cart. The most convienent shopping experience ever! Just don't shoplift, we'll know.
Will Yankee Candle Company have a delightful smelling implant for me? Hmmm I wonder what Cracker Barrel will come up with. The future is here, and it smells amazing.
It's all very well having a Tesla implant, until you stop at a junction and your brain catches fire.
It's fiiiiine, I wouldn't want a stupid brain chip that's NOT on fire anyway. Looks much cooler and I bet that's just how Daddy Elon planned it to be.
What are we going to do tomorrow night Brain?
The same thing we do every night Pinky.
TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD
Well, that'll happen if you don't take your Neuropozyne. Their test subject should have budgeted for that before getting augmented.
No one could have predicted this totally predictable situation.
Honestly surprised he didn't just run into a wall
"Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage..."
If only someone could have predicted
Well... that's probably the most expected thing to ever be expected. It was never a matter of 'if', it was a matter of when.
Just another rapid disassembly, nothing to see here..
This technology is amazing. I hope this turns out well for the volunteer.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Neuralink, the brain-computer interface startup run by controversial billionaire Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Ars.
The goal is for the threads to be placed near neurons of interest so that signals detected by the electrodes can be recorded and decoded into intended actions, such as moving a cursor on a computer screen.
On January 28, the company announced that it has surgically implanted its brain-computer interface into its first clinical trial participant, 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, who developed quadriplegia after a 2016 diving accident.
It remains unclear why the threads moved from their placement, but one hypothesis that sources told the Journal is that there was air trapped inside Arbaugh's skull after the surgery, a condition called pneumocephalus.
However, the company reported that the retraction of the threads lowered his bits-per-second (BPS) rate, which is used to measure how quickly and accurately a patient with an implant can control a computer cursor.
The Journal reported that the company has told the Food and Drug Administration—which regulates clinical trials and granted approval for Neuralink to test its device in humans—that it believes it has fixes for the problem.
The original article contains 596 words, the summary contains 193 words. Saved 68%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Hmm, turns out the human body doesn't like to be tampered with! Who could have predicted this? I'm sure this is akin to organ rejection but I'm definitely surprised that the brain has these kinds of mechanisms. Maybe to defend against ancient parasites?