On Wednesday, Neuralink showed the progress of its first patient with a brain implant. The company shared a nine-minute video in which Noland Arbaugh, the first person with a mind-controlled chip, can be seen playing a game of chess on his computer. The post was quickly shared by the company's founder, Elon Musk:
Livestream of @Neuralink demonstrating “Telepathy” – controlling a computer and playing video games just by thinking https://t.co/0kHJdayfYy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 20, 2024
In the post, Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old man who was left paralyzed from the shoulders down in a diving accident eight years ago, talks about the brain implant that allows him to play chess again, something he did not believe was possible until a few months ago. "It's crazy, really. It's great," he says in the video in which he can also be seen playing the video game "Civilization" as well as receiving Japanese and French classes.
Noland Arbaugh says the Neuralink chip is the beginning of a long journey
The company founded by Elon Musk and dedicated to neural research installed the implant in Arbaugh in January. This trial has turned out to be a complete success. The procedure also allowed the patient to be discharged in just one day since, the doctors assured, no cognitive impairment was detected.
However, Arbaugh, who said that he can now move his computer mouse cursor, acknowledges that this is just the beginning of a long process: "There is a lot of work to do, but it has already changed my life. I don't want people to think that this is the end of the journey."
As the process of adapting to his new neural chip continues, the 29-year-old has tried to maintain a sense of humor. For this reason, he says that this Halloween he will dress up as Professor Charles Xavier, the "X-Men" character who is in a wheelchair and has mental superpowers: "I'm going to be Professor X. I think it's quite appropriate... I'm basically telekinetic."
Neuralink continues to monitor his progress, which, according to a company engineer, they will continue to share with the public to show the potential of their brain chip.
