The first person to receive a brain implant from Neuralink, Noland Arbaugh, showcased the capabilities of the technology by utilizing his thoughts to play chess and video games. Elon Musk’s business originally aired the nine-minute video live on X, in which Arbaugh is shown enjoying computer games. The first person to get Neuralink’s brain implant claims that it has improved his quality of life and given him the ability to operate a computer just with his thoughts. Eight years ago, Arbaugh claimed, he had a “freak diving accident” that left him unable to move his limbs.
Eight years ago, Arbaugh claimed, he had a “freak diving accident” that left him unable to move his limbs. According to him, he was paralyzed below the shoulders and was seated in a wheelchair. “Below my injury, I have no sensation or movement.” Arbaugh continued;
“I love playing chess and this is one of the things you all have enabled me to do, something that I wasn’t able to do much the last few years, especially not like this.”
In the video, Arbaugh can also be seen using his thoughts to switch off music that is playing on a gadget. Arbaugh said that he had played the computer game Civilization VI with his brain implant, something he had not been able to do before his injury. “The ability to do that again and play for eight hours straight,” he said the gadget had given him. The implant functions by interpreting the user’s brain impulses and converting them into Bluetooth-based remote commands that may be used to operate an electronic gadget, such as a mouse cursor. Arbaugh’s first attempt at this comprised attempting to move his hands despite his incapacity to do so.
Referring to Starwars he explained;
“From there, it just became intuitive for me to start imagining the cursor moving. It was like using the Force on a cursor and I could get it to move wherever I wanted.”
Criticism and Federal Inquiry Surrounding Neuralink’s Testing Practices
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted Neuralink to conduct clinical studies on humans last year in the form of an experimental device exemption. This permits the collection of safety and effectiveness data through the use of gadgets in clinical research. Over the years, the business has tested the technology on pigs and monkeys. One particular monkey made news when it was seen using two N1 Link chips implanted in its brain to play the popular computer game, Pong.
However, Neuralink has experienced criticism in the past, just like many other businesses connected to Musk. Due to possible breaches of animal welfare during testing, the firm was the subject of a federal inquiry in the US. According to a September 2023 Wired article, a medical ethics committee had demanded that Musk’s statements of dead monkeys from his company’s testing be looked into. Musk claimed that although business records suggest the animals may have suffered and died as a result of the company’s testing, the monkeys did not die as a result of the Neuralink implants.
A success story
Apart from the Neuralink study sessions, he has also been able to play the PC game Civilization VI because of the implant. This recently led to an eight-hour gaming session before his implant required a wireless recharge.
