ELON Musk's controversial brain chip lab Neuralink has revealed that their first ever patient experienced a problem after surgery.
Noland Arbaugh, 29, who is paralyzed from the neck down, got the implant in January – despite shocking reports about monkeys dropping dead in previous trials.
3
3
The technology allows him to control things on a computer screen and play video games with his mind.
Neuralink shared an update on Arbaugh's progress 100 days after the groundbreaking procedure was performed.
I beat my friends in matches that as a paralyzed person I shouldn't beat
Noland Arbaugh
In a blog post, the company revealed that part of the chip malfunctioned shortly after implantation.
Although the surgery went “extremely well,” a number of wires withdrew from Arbaugh's brain.
Read more about Elon Musk
This resulted in less effective electrodes that are essential for recording brain activity, affecting their ability to track the speed and accuracy of the device.
Neuralink's website says the implant has 1,024 electrodes via 64 wires that are “key to minimizing damage during implantation and beyond.”
The company did not reveal how many threads were retracted, nor why this happened.
Fortunately, scientists were able to make some changes to counteract the effects.
But some data was lost as a result, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sources told the newspaper that bosses considered removing the implant but ruled it posed no risk to Arbaugh's safety.
'LUXURY OVERLOADED'
Arbaugh was paralyzed eight years ago after a “freak diving accident” that dislocated two of his vertebrae.
He said technology has allowed him to “do things on my own again without needing my family around the clock.”
He can even beat friends in video games, with the ability to play chess, Mario Kart and kill the spire.
“Y'all give me too much, it's like luxury overload. I haven't been able to do these things in eight years and now I don't even know where to start dividing my attention,” Arbaugh explained.
“The games I can play now are leaps and bounds better than the previous ones.
“I beat my friends in matches where, as a paralyzed person, I shouldn't beat them.”
NEURALINK CONTROVERSY
ALLEGATONS v Neuralink claim test monkeys endured 'extreme suffering'.
During experiments, 15 of the 23 monkeys are said to have died.
In one case, a monkey was found missing several fingers and toes, possibly caused by self-mutilation, legal documents claimed.
Another case revealed that a female macaque had electrodes implanted in the brain, causing him to experience vomiting, gagging and wheezing.
An autopsy later showed that the monkey had a brain hemorrhage.
Bloody skin infections, collapsing monkeys and other gruesome side effects were also reported in the results, court documents show.
“No monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant. First, in our early implants, to minimize the risk to healthy monkeys, we chose terminal monkeys (sic) (already almost dead),” Musk previously said on X.