Elon Musk’s brain technology startup Neuralink Corp. livestreamed an update with their first brain implant patient, Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old quadriplegic man who sustained a spinal cord injury in a diving accident 8 years ago.
The demonstration, streamed on Musk’s X platform, showed Arbaugh playing video games like Civilization VI and online chess using only his mind.
— Neuralink (@neuralink) March 20, 2024
Neuralink’s implant, which contains more electrodes than other similar devices, allows patients to control computers with their thoughts. The company aims to initially work with patients who have severe physical limitations such as cervical spinal cord impairment or quadriplegia.
Arbaugh, who was released from the hospital just one day after receiving the Neuralink implant in January, expressed how the technology has “already changed [his] life” despite acknowledging that further refinements are needed. The surgery was described as “super easy” by Arbaugh.
While Neuralink is not alone in developing brain-computer interface devices, with demonstrations by other groups like the BrainGate consortium, their device’s higher electrode count suggests potential for more applications in the future.
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
Musk also hinted at the possibility of restoring vision, referring to “Blindsight” as the next product after the current “Telepathy” implant for paralyzed patients.
