Neuralink talks about a patient’s first 100 days with a brain transplant

Neuralink Hectare Posted a job Which he talks to us about Prime Minister’s study More specifically, about the case Health and experience progress Who saw the first patient, a quadriplegic Noland ArbaughReceive Neuralink brain implant – called Link.

About 100 days after the transplant, which took place at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, Everything seems to be going well.

The aim of the study is Prove that the link is secure and useful in everyday life. Before Link, Arbaugh’s primary digital interface was a stylus held in the mouth that had to be positioned by an assistant.

The stick can only be used in the upright tablet position, and prolonged use may cause discomfort, muscle strain and bedsores; Moreover, it prevents you from speaking normally.

With Neuralink implant Arbo’s life changed for the better. “The most important thing from a comfort standpoint is that I can lie on my bed and use Link. With any other assistive technology, I would have had to ask someone else to help me or have to sit down. Sitting causes psychological and physical stress that may lead to bed sores or cramps. It allows me to live at my leisure, without needing someone to fix me, etc. During the dayArbo said.

In the weeks following surgery, Neuralink’s first human patient used Link to control his laptop from various positions, including while lying down. Play games online with friends (Chess, Civilization VI), Surf the InternetLive streaming and using other apps on your MacBook, all of it Control the cursor with your mind. He even used a link to Play Mario Kart on Nintendo SwitchThis is something he is no longer able to do after a spinal cord injury.

“You give me so much, it’s like too much luxury, I haven’t been able to do these things for 8 years and now I don’t even know where to start “To get my attention,” was Arbo’s first comment.The link helped me reconnect with the worldWith my friends and with my family. “It gave me the ability to do things on my own again without needing my family around all hours of the day and night,” he added.

On weekdays, Arbo contributes to research sessions for up to 8 hours a day. On weekends, personal and leisure use may exceed 10 hours per day. “He recently used the device for a total of 69 hours in one week: 35 hours of structured sessions and another 34 hours of personal use,” Neuralink explains.

“A month ago I thought the mouth wand was much better than the brain-computer interface, but when we compared it… I saw that the BCI was just as good, if not better, and is still improving; The games I can play now are vastly superior to previous games. I beat my friends at games that I, as a quadriplegic, shouldn’t beat them at“.

“The standard measure of speed and accuracy of cursor control is bits per second (BPS), calculated using a grid task,” Neuralink explains, with higher BPS values ​​indicating better cursor control. “During his first research session, Noland created New world record for human BCI control at 4.6 bps. It later reached 8.0 bps He is currently trying to beat the results of Neuralink engineers using a mouse (~10 bps).”

The link is able to distinguish between left and right clicks and allows the cursor to be controlled with sufficient precision Select targets that are similar in size to smaller icons and buttons On the laptop screen. The ability to select small targets with multiple click patterns allows Arbaugh to use applications and games on his laptop that were not possible with a mouth wand.

Noland Arbaugh, a Neuralink patient, posted on the X website “With Thought”

Neuralink engineers noticed this in the weeks following the intervention Some wires fell out of the brainwith a consequent reduction in the number of working electrodes.

This resulted in a decrease in BPS which was compensated for by modifying the recording algorithm to make it more sensitive to residual signals, and improving techniques for translating these signals into cursor and user interface movements.

Arbo engineers are now focusing on Raise cursor control performance to the same level as that of healthy people “Extend functionality to include text entry.”

In the future, Neuralink aims to extend Link’s capabilities into the physical worldTo enable control of robotic arms, wheelchairs and other technology that can help increase the independence of people with quadriplegia.