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First human brain implant malfunctioned, Neuralink says (thehill.com)

submitted 5 months ago by AnActOfCreation@programming.dev to c/technology@lemmy.world

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The first Neuralink implant in a human malfunctioned after several threads recording neural activity retracted from the brain, the Elon Musk-owned startup revealed Wednesday.

The threads retracted in the weeks following the surgery in late January that placed the Neuralink hardware in 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh’s brain, the company said in a blog post.

This reduced the number of effective electrodes and the ability of Arbaugh, a quadriplegic, to control a computer cursor with his brain.

“In response to this change, we modified the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to neural population signals, improved the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and enhanced the user interface,” Neuralink said in the blog post.

The company said the adjustments resulted in a “rapid and sustained improvement” in bits-per-second, a measure of speed and accuracy of cursor control, surpassing Arbaugh’s initial performance.

While the problem doesn’t appear to pose a risk to Arbaugh’s safety, Neuralink reportedly floated the idea of removing his implant, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The company has also told the Food and Drug Administration that it believes it has a solution for the issue that occurred with Arbaugh’s implant, the Journal reported.

The implant was placed just more than 100 days ago. In the blog post, the company touted Arbaugh’s ability to play online computer games, browse the internet, livestream and use other applications “all by controlling a cursor with his mind.”

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[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 157 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (6 children)

When did they work? Prior to getting approved in humans they were killing animals at a high rate. To the point where animals were smashing their heads against shit to get the chip out.

Additional veterinary reports show the condition of a female monkey called “Animal 15” during the months leading up to her death in March 2019. Days after her implant surgery, she began to press her head against the floor for no apparent reason; a symptom of pain or infection, the records say. Staff observed that though she was uncomfortable, picking and pulling at her implant until it bled, she would often lie at the foot of her cage and spend time holding hands with her roommate.

I understand testing on animals is tough but this was straight cruelty.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-pcrm-neuralink-monkey-deaths/

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 37 points 5 months ago (2 children)

When I was in college working in a lab, we were worried about accidentally killing frogs with our equipment because we didn’t have anything filed with the IRB about frogs.

Everything with Elon bewilders me. I thought this is why we had regulatory agencies.

[–] JustAnotherRando@lemmy.world 24 points 5 months ago

This is also why regulatory agencies have been systematically crippled over the last 40 years or so. Damn near every sector has had their regulatory agencies crippled by some combination of reducing authority, underfunding, and understaffing. When the agencies work, the message is "see, we don't need those regulations anymore because we're taking care of things fine on our own," and when they stop working, the message is "we shouldn't be spending money on these agencies! They don't do anything anyway!"

[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 17 points 5 months ago

As we see most regulation agencies are underfunded and undermanned on purpose. I'm sure they are the same.

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 34 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It was working for a while for the guy. He was paralyzed from the neck down and he was able to use it to play some lame game like LoL or something.

[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 54 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yeah I seen a money kinda play pong on it. It was cool and all but not ripping at your skull cool.

It sucks bc there are real companies developing the tech for an amazing cause. Elon is a dip shit that has no clue on how to run a company and he is actually hurting the research.

[–] curiousPJ@lemmy.world 25 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

You don't even need to be inserting probes to be able to do that...

OCZ had this 'toy' out in 2008.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16826100006

one of the reviews...

Ultra-sensitive, excellent response time. Partial hands free gaming. Cool looking blue LED glow from interface box. This is the future of computer user interface. While designed primarily for FPS games, works exceptionally well with MMOs. Makes Crysis WARHEAD and FarCry 2 a joy to play. As a disabled person, this unit has allowed me to game with all the "normal" folks on the same level.

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[–] QuaternionsRock@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago

IIRC dude went home and played Civ all night

[–] SparrowRanjitScaur@lemmy.world 26 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'm not defending this, but at least a human electively chooses this procedure and understands why they have a device attached to their head. The monkeys must have had no idea what was going on and just wanted to remove the foreign object.

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[–] ichbinjasokreativ@lemmy.world 140 points 5 months ago (2 children)

This was to be expected and they handled it well imo. I'm not gonna get one though.

[–] rudyharrelson@kbin.social 82 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Agreed. I was flippant after reading the headline, since I don't like Musk, but once I read the story I was like "oh yeah this tech does have big potential for the differently abled. "

A quadriplegic being able to control a cursor on a screen with the implant for 100 days seems like a legit first attempt.

Could be great for the accessibility movement in the long run. But I could be naive or too optimistic.

[–] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (13 children)

A quadriplegic being able to control a cursor on a screen with the implant for 100 days seems like a legit first attempt.

Why, when we already have non-surgical solutions that allow the same thing but don’t come with the risk of killing you?

differently abled

Please dude I promise you this is near universally hated by disabled people 😭

[–] blunderworld@lemmy.ca 27 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I agree with not liking 'differently-abled' as a term. To me it reads along the same lines as 'disabled people are built different'. Pretty awkward.

Not that I have a horse in this race. Or a neuralink, as the case may be.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 22 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (13 children)

Yeah I feel like it’s an attempt to resolve the Deaf stance that deafness isn’t a disability. The general stance of the Deaf community is closer to that of the queer community than that of say the paraplegic community. It sees deafness as a disability constructed by a society unwilling to communicate visually and to teach signed languages to all people able to use them.

Mind you we’re the contentious portion of the disabled world. The Deaf are as bad as lesbians I tell ya.

But on point, “differently abled” feels like it washes away the struggle. I am disabled. I’m disabled by a society that taught my great grandparents, my grandparents, and my parents not to teach their hard of hearing children sign language because otherwise we won’t use English. I’m disabled by a society that doesn’t include visual signals in emergency sounds even when it’s easy to do. I’m disabled by a society where people, including cops, will speak to the back of my head and not even consider that I didn’t respond because I didn’t hear. And I’m disabled by the assumption my life has to be worse for having less sound as though I’m not extremely literate and completely capable of using a signed language. I’m not “differently abled” I’m completely able in most ways everyone else is, and people who can’t learn to communicate visually are just as disabled as people who can’t learn to communicate audibly.

[–] iopq@lemmy.world 21 points 5 months ago (6 children)

That's like saying blind people are not disabled, it's just society that insists on visual stimuli

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[–] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago (9 children)

My aunt and uncle are Deaf and contentious is pretty accurate.

I get why cochlear implants are shunned, but I don't get why it's such a hot button to even consider. We give paraplegics wheelchairs y'know

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Because they kinda suck in a way wheelchairs don’t. Wheelchairs grant an alternative to ambulation. Cochlear implants give a new sense, one that those born without it literally don’t have the brain buildup to deal with. Like, look into those who got it and don’t use it. And often they’re forced on children by parents who will never learn sign language. I’m on board with children getting CIs as a teenager if a mental health professional with expertise in the deaf signs off that they weren’t unduly coerced, but it’s a major medical decision often forced or coerced on infants and young children by hearing parents and a hearing society to serve the interests of the hearing rather than the deaf child.

Fucking hell, hearing aids are uncomfortable. And not just because it’s something inside your ears. Like, it’s not the same as natural hearing (my loss is degenerative, I’ve had both). The sound filtration is worse and it overstimulates the brain. But hearing people get angry when you turn your ears off because you need a break because to many hearing people the point is to make you not deaf/hard of hearing. But the fact is we always are, it’s just that sometimes we’re using an assistive device that is often uncomfortable or outright painful.

Cochlear implants might be better seen as a lesbian having a platonic husband instead of a romantic wife. It’s uncomfortable assimilation and a worse solution in the absence of social pressure, and it gives the pressure ammunition. Absent the social pressures, it’s your choice. And to be upfront, I expect to get them once my hearing reaches the point they’re better than hearing aids. And also if I was a native signer they would have to earn a place in my skull and I’m angry that I’m not a native signer. As I implied, my hearing loss is genetic, and it fits pretty well to what your middle school taught you about a mono-allele dominant trait.

Wheelchairs are often seen as liberating to their users. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are often seen as burdens to their users. Nobody has to punish their child or nag their spouse into using their wheelchair, but for hearing devices, it’s common, it’s expected, it’s something you’re warned about beforehand. Please be understanding of the Deaf, we may not always be the nicest or easiest to understand, but nobody understands deafness better than us.

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[–] Sneptaur@pawb.social 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

There are some politically correct terms that are not well liked by the people they describe:

Differently abled
Houseless
Latinx

[–] Robotunicorn@lemmy.world 14 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I cannot speak to any of these, however, I learned that that you should just ask. If you can’t ask, put the “human” first such as people with disabilities or people who are deaf, blind, etc. Latine is another term I’ve heard, but in the community, there are those that like it and those that don’t.

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[–] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 18 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I will never not post this. This is what anyone who gets one of these is destined for :

https://spectrum.ieee.org/bionic-eye-obsolete

[–] JustAnotherRando@lemmy.world 14 points 5 months ago

When a company stops supporting devices like this, the devices and their documentation and code should be required to enter the public domain. It should not be allowed for assistive devices to become e-waste stuck in a patient's body.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 58 points 5 months ago

That's weird. Did he try subscribing to Twitter Blue?

[–] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 50 points 5 months ago

The implant failing when the subject's connected tissue died has always been the best possible outcome from this, tbh.

[–] ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk 50 points 5 months ago

Neuralink reportedly floated the idea of removing his implant

This immediately sank when someone pointed out that it would be a PR nightmare, which naturally was more important than patient safety.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 32 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I hope Noland has unlimited use because he might risk having to pay a sub to use the implant that they put in his brain

[–] stergro@feddit.de 31 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I would never put something in my brain that doesn't at least have a public API documentation. If the company discontinued the product I want to be able to keep using it. Open Source software would be best.

[–] Allero@lemmy.today 24 points 5 months ago

Open source is the only way for anything that should enter our brains.

Really hope regulations will come to this.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (3 children)

'Have you consider running Linux on your neural implant?'

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[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 28 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Not the first, first they told people about.

Definitely a closet full of dead bodies over there.

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 30 points 5 months ago

Dead monkeys and apes, yes. The bodycount in primates for the development of Neuralink isn't... Fun.

[–] snownyte@kbin.social 26 points 5 months ago (2 children)

This is more than enough to turn me off from the idea of neural anything in the brains of humans. Especially if it's all being ran by a fledgling sycophant like Musk.

Even if it's not drastic, I don't want to know what the worst case scenario would've been.

[–] p5yk0t1km1r4ge@lemmy.world 17 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Idk... I don't like Elon, but this is actually incredibly huge overall. he controlled a computer with his mind. That's amazing for people who could benefit from it. I think it's worth continuing down this path, just to see how it evolves. I'm sure the man knew the risks and still chose to do it, meaning it was worth it to him.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 32 points 5 months ago (17 children)

This isn't something new to nueralink. Brain-machine interfaces have existed for quite some time. Neuralink is one of a number of companies that are exploring directly implanting these devices rather than using an externally attached (hence, easily removable) interface, but the core thesis of "Brain control computer" isn't any kind of grand leap forward. That's just Musk's marketing.

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[–] venusaur@lemmy.world 22 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (10 children)

It’s the first attempt. Failure is gonna happen. This isn’t big news. If they were rolling it out to market that would be different.

[–] blackbelt352@lemmy.world 45 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Sure failure is gonna happen but neuralink hasn't been particularly successful with all the primates that have been tested with for previous version either.

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[–] jeffw@lemmy.world 20 points 5 months ago

shocked Pikachu face

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Was The Lawnmower Man a documentary?

[–] db2@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago (7 children)

That movie was so awful, even then. That and Battlefield Earth are guilty pleasures but they're truly terrible.

[–] 4grams@awful.systems 20 points 5 months ago (6 children)

I feel like they belong in separate categories though. Lawnmower man was regular bad, like it started as something that had value but effects and writing just weren’t up to where they should have been resulting in a hilarious, guilty pleasure mess.

Battlefield earth never stood a chance, everything about it was cursed start to finish and was a complete vanity project by a religious weirdo. There’s just plain guilt with it, no pleasure.

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[–] profdc9@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

"Humanity can not progress without heaps" - Hubert Farnsworth

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