Neuralink CEO Elon Musk has reacted to a live stream of a quadriplegic man, the company’s first brain implant patient, playing video games and online chess using only his mind. Earlier this year, without giving many details, Musk revealed that Neuralink had implanted its first human brain chip after receiving approval from the US FDA.
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In the video shared on Neuralink’s official X (formerly Twitter) profile, the patient, Noland Arbaugh was able to use his mind to play chess and game Civilization VI in the computer placed in front of him. The 29 year old while playing Civilization VI said, “I had given up on playing that game,”
Giving details about his injury, Noland said in the video, “About 8 years ago I was in a kind of freak diving accident and dislocated my C4 and C5 so I am a complete quadriplegic. I am paralyzed from below my shoulders. I have no sensation or movement below my shoulders.”
Sharing details about the live stream of Noland playing games, “Musk wrote,Livestream of @Neuralink demonstrating “Telepathy” – controlling a computer and playing video games just by thinking.”
Meanwhile, Kip Allan Ludwig, co-director of the Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering, also reacted to the development in an interaction with Bloomberg. He said, “I’m happy for the individual that he’s been able to interface with a computer in a way he wasn’t able to before the implant…That’s not a breakthrough compared to what others have shown previously, but it’s certainly a good starting point.”
What is Neuralink? How is it different from its competitors?
Neuralink is a brain technology startup founded by Elon Musk that allows patients to use their thoughts to control a computer, reports Bloomberg. The billionaire has previously said that
Neuralink’s device, about the size of a large coin, is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires connected directly to the brain. The company aims to target the region of the brain that controls movement intention, initially allowing people to control computers using their thoughts alone.
The Bloomberg report notes that while Neuralink is not the only company focusing on brain devices that connect to a computer, its devices contain more electrodes than the others, meaning it could have more potential applications in the future.
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Published: 21 Mar 2024, 07:04 AM IST
