In February, Elon Musk announced that the first patient to have a chip implanted in his brain was able to control a mouse with his mind. Now that patient has a face and a humanity, and it is undeniable that his appearance in video – on the “X” profile of Neuralink – leads the world to consider more favorably the idea of chips connected directly to people’s minds. Moreover, the declared purpose of Musk’s neurotechnology start-up is related to the medical-rehabilitative use of chips, which would give the opportunity to restore lost abilities such as vision, motor function or language. With Noland Arbaugh – this is the name of the first patient to have a brain chip implanted – the rehabilitation use seems to have given exciting results.
https://t.co/OMIeGGjYtG
— Neuralink (@neuralink) March 20, 2024
In the video, the 29-year-old says that he became quadriplegic after a car accident, and that, thanks to the chip, he can now carry out his hobbies more easily despite his extremely limited mobility. He can take Japanese lessons, play video games and chess, he explains as he describes how he can move the cursor on the screen while the system translates his intention to it.
“I’m paralyzed below the shoulders, I have no sensation of movement below.” But, thanks to the chip, he can carry out activities that, despite their simplicity, have been denied to him for years. “He IS crazy,” says the 29-year-old. “Of course, there is a long way to go, but he has already changed my life and I think he will change it for other people.”
A brain-computer interface
Neuralink announced months ago that it had begun recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial to test its device, a “brain-computer interface” for picking up the electrical activity of neurons and converting those signals into commands to control an external device. In January the official announcement came from Elon Musk: “Neuralink has installed its first brain implant in a human being, with promising initial results”. The always declared ambition is precisely the possibility of intervening on neurological disorders such as ALS or Parkinson’s and perhaps one day creating a symbiotic relationship between man and artificial intelligence.