Goodbye to controlling your computer with your brain: Elon Musk’s Neuralink chip fails in first human patient

Noland Arbaugh made headlines as the first human to receive Neuralink’s brain chip—a bold leap in Elon Musk’s vision to merge mind and machine.

Paralyzed from the shoulders down, Arbaugh volunteered to have the experimental device implanted in early 2024, a move hailed as a milestone in neurotechnology. But after more than 400 days with the device in his brain, it has been revealed the pioneering experiment quickly hit a serious snag.

What went wrong with Neuralink’s brain chip?

In January 2024, surgeons implanted 64 ultra-thin wires and 1,024 electrodes into Arbaugh’s brain. The goal: to capture the electrical signals associated with movement and speech, then translate those impulses into action on a computer screen—essentially allowing him to move a cursor with his mind. Powered by artificial intelligence, the system initially appeared to work, offering new hope to people living with paralysis.

But within just over a month, things began to unravel.

Roughly 85% of the electrodes detached from Arbaugh’s brain, stripping him of the ability to control the computer with his thoughts. Yet the failure wasn’t caused by the electronics themselves.

Instead, the problem came from the body’s own response. Scar tissue formed more slowly than expected around the implanted threads, allowing them to shift out of position. That movement rendered the system almost useless.

Despite the setback, Arbaugh chose to continue with the experiment. However, the technology has an expiration date: the Neuralink implant is scheduled to be removed in five years. When that happens, he’ll lose his ability to communicate through the chip—at least until the next breakthrough arrives.

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