Neuralink , Elon Musk 's neurotechnology company that recently implanted its first chip into a person's brain , live-streamed a video showing the patient moving a mouse and playing chess on the computer, using his thoughts.
Noland Arbaugh, 29, is the first patient to receive a Neuralink chip. The company is developing a brain-computerto help patients with severe paralysis control external technologies using only nerve signals. Neuralink's first product is called Telepathy.
In the video broadcast on X, the young patient said that an accident about eight years ago left him a quadriplegic. According to him, the surgery to implant the Neuralink chip was “super easy” and he was discharged from the hospital the next day.
The patient explained that the implant still needs improvements, but it has already made his life significantly easier.
See also: First patient with Neuralink chip controls computer mouse with his mind
“It’s not perfect, I would say we’ve had some issues,” Arbaugh said. “I don’t want people to think this is the end, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s already changed my life.”
A brain-computer interface is a system that decodes signals brain If the system works properly, patients with serious degenerative diseases could be able to send messages or browse social media with their minds.
Several companies in the industry have developed similar systems and implanted devices into brains . However, for Neuralink, this was the first chip implant. The company is particularly well-known in the field because of its founder, Elon Musk.
The capabilities Neuralink demonstrated in its video aren't new. Dr. Nader Pouratian, chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said researchers have been developing and studying the technology for years.
“There are things we’ve been able to do for decades, like controlling a cursor in two dimensions, which is actually extremely simple once someone gets any brain signal,” he told CNBC in an interview earlier this month.
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He said there is a lot of excitement around brain-computer interfaces, but admitted there are many practical challenges, such as how to interpret and analyze brain signals and make them useful.
Neuralink began recruiting patients for its first human clinical trial last fall. It had already received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a study in May 2023. In January 2024, Musk said that Neuralink had implanted its chip in a human for the first time and that the patient was “recovering well.” His identity was not released at the time.
Neuralink had shared very few details about the scope or nature of the trial.
It's unclear how many patients are participating in Neuralink's trial or what the trial is trying to show. The company will have to go through several rounds of safety and efficacy before it can receive the FDA's final stamp of approval and hit the market.
Neuralink was founded in 2016 with the hope of creating a new way to connect humans with machines. Musk has previously said it could offer a way for people to integrate virtual reality with their own brains.
See also: Brain implant partially restores movement to quadriplegic man
Neuralink's technology could allow people to communicate with computers through thought, creating a new form of communication.
Musk also believes that the company's technology could help treat various neurological disorders, such as dementia, depression, and epilepsy.
Neuralink's chip could also allow humans to synchronize with artificial intelligence, offering an alternative solution to the problem of AI superiority.
Source: www.cnbc.com
