Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, announced on Saturday that his brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, has made significant progress in restoring full body control for people with paralysis. Neuralink has successfully implanted a brain chip in its first human participant, Noland Armagh, in the US. The company is now seeking applications for a second participant for a chip implant.
“Long-term, I think we can bridge severed nerve signals to a second Neuralink in the spine, restoring full body control,” the tech billionaire posted on the X social media platform.
Arbaugh, the world's first recipient of a Neuralink, has enabled “telepathic control of a computer or phone just by thinking," Musk added.
Neuralink has chosen a second participant for its chip implant program. The participant will hear about Arbaugh's life-changing experiences after getting the implant. The company has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human trials. The PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) trials are designed to assess the safety of the N1 implant and R1 surgical robot. These trials aim to evaluate the initial functionality of the wireless brain-computer interface, which helps people with paralysis control external devices using their thoughts.
How is the first recipient performing?
After undergoing surgery, Arbaugh used the Neuralink implant to control his laptop from various positions, including while lying down in bed. The company stated that he plays online computer games with friends (such as Chess and Civilization VI), browses the internet, live streams, and uses other applications on his MacBook, all by controlling a cursor with his mind.
He even used the brain chip to play Mario Kart on a Nintendo Switch console. Arbaugh expressed that technology has helped him reconnect with the world, his friends, and his family. It has given him the ability to do things on his own again without needing his family at all hours of the day and night.
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