FIRST PARALYSED MAN TO RECEIVE NEURALINK CHIP BY ELON MUSK, REVEALS LIFE CHANGING EFFECTS
The first-ever recipient of a Neuralink "mind-reading chip," a crippled man, has described how the technology has transformed his life. In January 2024, Noland Arbaugh of Arizona became the first individual to have the cutting-edge device installed by Neuralink, a US neurotechnology company owned by Elon Musk.
After a diving accident in 2016, Noland was paralyzed from the shoulders down, raising the prospect that he would never be able to work, study, or play games again, according to the BBC. "You just have no control, no privacy, and it's horrible," Noland told the news source. "You have to learn that you have to rely on other people for everything." Yet the Neuralink chip has helped him restore a degree of independence - by allowing him to autonomously control a computer using just his mind.
His quality of life has significantly improved thanks to the brain computer interface (BCI) chip, which detects the tiny electrical impulses that are triggered when we consider moving into a digital instruction. He said that the results of the surgery were instantaneous, as he could move a cursor on a screen only by thinking about moving his fingers. He said, "To be honest, I had no idea what to anticipate—it seems so sci-fi."
The fact that he could operate his computer with simply his thoughts then "sunk in" as he observed his neurons spiking. He claims that he has now improved his skills with the device to the point where he can defeat his friends in video games, "which really shouldn't be possible, but it is," Noland continued. Although Musk's Neuralink has pushed the cutting-edge tech center stage, scientists have been working on the topic for decades and the company is not the first to implement the technique.
Noland claimed to have met the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla before the procedure and to have thought Musk was "just as excited" to get things started. He claims that the technology is more than simply the boss, though, and that he does not view it as a "Elon Musk device." Although scientists claim it marks a "major milestone" in the field of science and technology, they also caution that it has risks of its own.
First, "exporting our brain activity" basically gives access to "not just what we do but possibly what we think, what we believe, and what we feel," according to Anil Seth, a neuroscience professor at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. "Once you've got access to stuff within your head, there really is no other barrier to personal privacy left," he continued in an interview with the news organization. Despite being transformative, Noland claims there were several glitches, most notably when the device unplugged from his brain and lost control of his computer. He recalled the event as "upsetting to say the least" and expressed concern that he might not be able to utilize the chip in the future.
Thankfully, the connection was fixed and enhanced, but Noland says he expects to see more advancements in electronics that may enable him to operate a humanoid robot or even his wheelchair. Noland's main drawback is that he consented to participate in the study for six years, after which his future remains uncertain.