Noland Arbeau, 29, who was partially paralyzed after a diving accident 8 years ago, became the first person to have a Neuralink «chip implanted in his brain.
It is a brain-computer interface «(called «Telepathy» in Neuralink’s version), which actually allows you to control actions on a computer with the power of thoughts.
- The Telepathy device contains more than 1000 electrodes (much more than other implants) and targets individual neurons (many other devices under development target signals from groups of neurons), which should provide a higher degree of signal detection accuracy. The chip and electrodes are implanted into the patient’s brain with the help of a specially designed robot surgeon, and wireless communication ensures that brain signals are sent to a special Neuralink program that decodes them into actions and intentions. The device is also recharged wirelessly.
In a live stream launched on X, Arbeau, who said that he used to play chess, plays the game on a computer, moving the cursor remotely — as if by the power of thoughts.
— Neuralink (@neuralink) March 20, 2024
The patient also noted that the implantation surgery was «extremely easy» and that he only had to learn to distinguish between «imaginary movement and attempted movement» to get used to controlling the cursor on the screen. In addition to chess, Arbo played Civilization V — previously this was only possible with the use of special lipsticks.
The man added that the Neuralink implant can work for 8 hours before needing to be recharged.
«It doesn’t work perfectly, and we’ve encountered some problems,» Arbeau said. «There is a lot of work to be done, but it has already changed my life».
Neuralink — is a startup founded by Elon Musk in 2017 that is trying to create a brain-computer interface «and help people with injuries control phones and PCs using the «power of thoughts». In 2019, Musk announced that Neuralink had implanted a chip in the head of a monkey, which was then «able to control a computer». Since then, the company has been regularly publishing videos showing monkeys seem to be playing video games or print text «by the power of thought». Also, the technology was tested on pigs
Neuralink’s technology is based on decades of research into implanting electrodes into the human brain to interpret signals and treat conditions such as paralysis, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. One of the earliest devices, known as the Utah array, was first demonstrated in humans in 2004. Some of Neuralink’s competitors, such as the startup Synchron, offer alternative method of chip implantation — through blood vessels.
Noland Arbeau became the first person to receive a Neuralink implant after the company received permission for testing in December, has announced the recruitment of patients. Previously, Neuralink has repeatedly faced criticism from both animal rights activists and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for the way it tested its interface on animals. Questions have also been raised about transportation of potentially hazardous materials— The US Department of Transportation initiated an investigation and eventually fined the company.
In Musk’s biography, it was said that Neuralink plans to operate on more than 20 thousand people by 2030. In general, in all his announcements, the billionaire expresses quite ambitious goals, such as the fact that the implant will one day will help people «merge» with artificial intelligence.