Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip partially detaches in first human patient

UNDATED (CNN/CNN Newsource/WKRC) – Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip partially detached from the first human patient.

The first test subject for Elon Musk’s brain chip implant startup developed some problems just weeks after insertion.

The New York Post uploaded a video to YouTube, showing the Neuralink chip’s capabilities, with 29-year-old patient Noland Arbaugh able to play a game of chess simply by thinking.

Neuralink revealed that a number of the chip’s connective threads retracted from Arbaugh’s brain. The company reported that it hindered the implant’s data speeds and effectiveness.

“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, per The Post. “These refinements produced a rapid and sustained improvement in BPS, that has now superseded Noland’s initial performance.”

In January, Arbaugh, who’s been a quadriplegic since 2016, had the chip implanted into the part of his brain that controls the ability to move.

About a month later, Elon Musk said that the patient could control a computer mouse with his brain.

Musk previously said the company’s first product would be called Telepathy, targeting patients who have lost the use of their limbs.

Per The Post, Musk considered removing the implant, however, the malfunction hasn’t posed a direct threat to Arbaugh’s health.