Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink plans to extend Link functionality to the real world to control robotic arms, wheelchairs, etc.

According to this site’s news on May 9, Neuralink, Musk’s brain-computer interface equipment company, published a blog post announcing the latest progress of its PRIME research.

According to data estimates, approximately 180,000 people in the United States currently suffer from quadriplegia, and approximately 18,000 people suffer paralytic spinal cord injuries every year. Patients with this type of paralysis often face problems because they have difficulty interacting naturally with the digital world. Issues such as decreased independence, social isolation, and financial challenges from isolation. Therefore, Neuralink hopes to provide quadriplegic patients with a high-performance brain-computer interface so that they can better control digital devices and unleash their personal and professional potential.

To achieve this goal, Neuralink welcomed Noland Arbaugh, the first participant in the PRIME research project, more than 100 days ago at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Noland received the Neuralink brain-computer interface device (Link) here. The operation was so successful that he went home the next day.

This website learned from the official website that the purpose of the PRIME study is to prove that Link can be safe and effective enough in daily life, so Neuralink will actually remotely monitor it and use it independently by recording Link time, and assess how it impacts the lives of study participants to quantify the benefits to patients. Regarding this change, Noland said:

"You have provided me with so much help, it is like a wonderful fantasy. I have not been able to do these things for eight years, and now Don't know where to start. " — Noland Arbaugh

Data introduction, before the Link was implanted, Noland's main digital interface was through a tablet stylus (bite stick) placed in his mouth by a caregiver. ), but this method can only operate the tablet in a standing position. Long-term use can cause physical discomfort, muscle fatigue and bedsores, and also prevents patients from normal communication.

"The most comfortable thing is that I can use (Link) while lying in bed. Any other assistive technology requires help from someone or me to sit up, and if I am sitting all the time It puts stress on my mind and body, which can lead to bed sores or cramps. Thanks to Link, I can finally live my life on my own terms without having someone help me all day long." - Noland Arbaugh

Over the past few weeks, Noland has been able to use Link to control his laptop in different postures, such as playing online games (Chess, Civilization 6, Slay the Spire) with friends while lying in bed, and also You can browse online news or live broadcast, and of course you can use other applications on his MacBook. All of the above operations can be done by using your mind (controlling the cursor). You can even use Link to play "Mali" on the Switch. Olympic Racing", and this is something I have always wanted to do but have not been able to do since I injured my spine.

"(link) helped me reconnect with the world, friends, and family so that I could once again do things on my own without my family spending their entire day On me." - Noland Arbaugh

Neuralink said that Noland participates in an average of 8 hours of research meetings every day during the workday, and has more than 10 hours of free time and entertainment time every day on the weekends. The device was used for a total of 69 hours in a recent week, including 35 hours of structured meeting time and an additional 34 hours of personal use.

“Actually, a month ago I thought the chewing stick was much better than the brain-computer interface, but when I compared them together, I found that the brain-computer interface was not inferior at all and even better. It’s better, and it keeps getting better; I’m much better at gaming now than I was before, and I can even beat some of my friends that I wouldn’t have been able to beat as a quadriplegic.” - Noland Arbaugh

▲ Time spent using BCI each day since the first BCI session

According to reports, allowing Noland to participate in the study can make Neuralink better Evaluate Link's performance. The standard measure of cursor control speed and accuracy is bits per second (BPS) in grid training, with higher BPS values ​​indicating better cursor control. When he first got involved, Noland set a new world record for a human brain-computer interface controlling a cursor at 4.6 BPS, followed that up with 8.0 BPS, and is currently trying to beat Neuralink engineers using a mouse (~10 BPS).

Neuralink says Link is able to differentiate between left and right clicks and provide cursor control that is fine enough to select targets similar to the size of the smallest icons and buttons on a laptop screen, making Noland better to use. With various apps, you can also play games that he couldn’t play with the stick before.

In addition, in the weeks after Noland’s surgery, some of the connecting wires fell off, reducing the number of effective electrodes, resulting in a decrease in BPS. In response to this change, Neuralink adjusted the algorithm to make it more sensitive to neural signals, further optimized the technology to convert these signals into electrical signals, and optimized the user interface, allowing BPS to rapidly and continuously improve, even now Exceeded Noland's initial BPS performance.

Neuralink also revealed that the focus of their current work is to improve the cursor control performance to the same level as that of able-bodied users and expand functions such as text input; in the future, they also plan to extend Link's functions to the real physical world. to control robotic arms, wheelchairs and other technologies that may help improve the independence of quadriplegic patients.

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