Progress

Neuralink: Brain chip implant stabilizes

Noland Arbaugh (small picture) is the first Neuralink test subject.

(Bild: Neuralink, twitter.com/cd_doge, Krone KREATIV)

Tesla boss Elon Musk's company Neuralink has reported initial success in stabilizing its brain chip implant. The tiny wires of the implant, which was inserted into the first test subject, have become "more or less very stable", said Neuralink manager Dongjin Seo on Wednesday.

"After brain surgery, it takes a while for the tissue to grow back and for the sutures to be anchored in place. Once that happens, everything is stable." In May, Neuralink had reported that some wires in the brain of Noland Arbaugh, who has been paralyzed from the shoulder down since a diving accident in 2016, had come out of place.

So far, Arbaugh is the only patient with the implant. However, Musk hopes to increase the number of patients to a high single-digit figure this year. For future implantations, the company wants to shape the surface of the skull more specifically and normalize the carbon dioxide content in the patient's blood in order to minimize the risks. Neuralink is also working on a new, more efficient device with fewer electrodes, it said.

"No damage to the brain"
The implant is intended to enable paralyzed patients to control digital devices with their thoughts alone. Arbaugh can already use it to play video games, surf the internet and move a cursor.

Musk emphasized that the device does not cause any damage to the brain. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the company the green light for human testing last year after previously expressing safety concerns.