The first patient to use Elon Musk’s Neuralink gadget has demonstrated how to use a computer with it.
A nine-minute video on X showed Noland Arbaugh using the device to play chess online.
Mr. Arbaugh, 29, was left paralyzed below the shoulders in a diving accident and received the chip during an operation in January.
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During his nine-minute presentation, Mr. Arbaugh stated that installing the gadget was’super straightforward’.
In addition to successfully playing chess ‘with his thoughts’, he claimed to have completed an eight-hour session of the grand strategy game Civilization VI.
Nonetheless, he stated that the new technology is not perfect and has ‘hit into some difficulties’ that are being investigated.
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Elon Musk owns Neuralink, a technological startup that is studying ways to connect the brain to a computer.
It is believed that the device may help people who have experienced serious spinal or neurological problems overcome some of the obstacles they confront.
The device is about the size of a dime and detects electrical signals produced by the brain whenever we do something, such as move our bodies, speak, or think.
Neuralink has previously experimented on pigs and monkeys, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted them permission to begin human testing in May 2023.
It is not the only company exploring the possibility of employing computer interfaces to treat certain illnesses.
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The École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne, Switzerland, has effectively taught Gert-Jan Oskam to walk by thinking about the movements involved.
Mr Oskam, 40, was paralyzed in a bike accident, and the electrical implants allow him to stand, walk, and climb stairs.
Nature, a peer-reviewed journal, published the findings in May 2023.
Professor Anne Vanhoestenberghe of King’s College London told the BBC that the first human test for a medical gadget is a crucial milestone for any company that produces them.
“For the brain computer interface community, we must place this news in the context that whilst there are many companies working on exciting products, there are only a few other companies who have implanted their devices in humans, so Neuralink has joined a rather small group.”
Nonetheless, she stressed that the actual measure of a device’s effectiveness is its capacity to aid patients in the long run.
Neuralink has already faced criticism for its animal testing, with Reuters reporting in December 2022 that its tests resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,500 animals.
In July 2023, the head of the US Department of Agriculture stated that Neuralink had not violated any animal research restrictions.
A separate inquiry by the Department of Agriculture is underway.
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