Elon Musk on Wednesday shared a Neuralink livestream demonstrating “Telepathy,” which allowed the patient to control video and computer games by thinking.
The livestream was Neuralink’s first demonstration of a human using its brain implant.
Neuralink engineer Bliss Chapman introduced the patient, 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, who was in a “freak diving accident” about eight years ago.
Chapman said Arbaugh is the first-ever user of the Neuralink device.
“I dislocated my C4-C5, so I’m a complete quadriplegic. So I’m paralyzed from below the shoulders. I have no sensation or movement below my level of injury, so below my shoulders,” Arbaugh explained.
In a 9-minute presentation, Chapman demonstrated how Arbaugh plays chess on the computer by controlling the cursor with his brain.
WATCH:
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
— Neuralink (@neuralink) March 20, 2024
Zero Hedge reports:
In January, Musk posted on X that the first patient received the brain chip implant, specifying that the person was recovering well. Since then, Arbaugh has learned to play Civilization VI with his mind-controlled cursor.
Even though brain-computer interface research has existed for decades, there’s been a more recent push by billionaires, including Musk, to invest in the technology and further develop it.
Neuralink is powered by a quarter-sized chip implanted in the skull with electrodes inserted into the brain.
“It’s not perfect. We have run into some issues,” said Arbaugh without specifying them, adding the device has changed his life.
Musk also said the device may be able to restore vision: “Blindsight is the next product after Telepathy.”
X users had a variety of reactions to the technology, which can obviously be misused for nefarious purposes in the wrong hands.
This is absolutely incredible and terrifying. The conspiracy side of me just goes in many different directions. The other part of me thinks about the things this can do for people with huge disabilities.
— Sassafrass84 (@Sassafrass_84) March 20, 2024
This is life-changing.
I just hope the technology never falls into the wrong hands.
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) March 21, 2024
Absolutely an amazing sight to see how we’re breaking through barriers we never knew possible scientifically.
— Malcolm Fle𝕏 (@Malcolm_fleX48) March 20, 2024
Absolutely amazing inspiring stuff.
Someday this will help paralyzed people walk again.
— Paul A. Szypula
(@Bubblebathgirl) March 20, 2024
This is truly amazing and at the same time terrifying.
— TheLastDon (@TheLastDon222) March 20, 2024
From The Verge:
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Neuralink permission to conduct in-human clinical trials last year, and shortly afterwards the company announced that it was seeking test subjects for an initial six-year trial.
The video marks the first time Neuralink has shared footage of a human using its brain implant, after Musk announced in January that the first trial participant was “recovering well” after having the technology implanted. It comes a little under three years after the company released a video that showed a monkey controlling an on-screen cursor to play Pong using the technology.
This kind of control via a brain-computer interface isn’t entirely new; The Wall Street Journal notes that in 2004 a paralyzed person was also able to move a cursor thanks to help from a brain-computer interface. But this earlier iteration of the technology wasn’t able to transmit data wirelessly like Neuralink, and relied on wires protruding through the skin. The fact that Arbaugh was able to hold a conversation while moving the cursor is also notable, according to the WSJ.
“It’s certainly a good starting point,” Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering co-director Kip Ludwig tells Reuters. However, he denied that the demo represents a “breakthrough.” Other companies like BlackRock and Synchron have also demonstrated how paralyzed patients can use brain-computer interfaces to control electronic devices, though Synchron’s less-invasive approach may not be able to gather as much neural data, according to the WSJ. Paradromics and Precision Neuroscience are also working on brain implants to compete with Neuralink.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.
View the original article here.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!