Elon Musk’s company has achieved a major breakthrough that is bringing people ‘to tears’.
Neuralink is an American neurotechnology company that was first launched back in 2016.
Since then, it has been making breakthroughs and, as of last year, has been developing implantable brain-computer interfaces which patients have shared success stories about.
Founded by Musk, Noland Arbaugh became Neuralink’s first patient to test the neurotech firm’s chip, having it implanted in January 2024.
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This was eight years after he was paralysed in a diving accident.
Recalling his adjustment to his disability, Arbaugh told the BBC that he had ‘no control, no privacy, and it’s hard’, adding: “You have to learn that you have to rely on other people for everything.”
Arbaugh continued: “If everything worked out, then I could help being a participant of Neuralink. If something terrible happened, I knew they would learn from it.”
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The 30-year-old hoped that by having the chip implanted, he might be able to regain some independence by being able to control his computer again.
This is achieved using a brain computer interface (BCI), which detects tiny electrical impulses that are created when humans think about moving.
These impulses are then translated into a digital command, enabling the user to do things like move the cursor on the screen.
While Arbaugh admitted that he ‘didn’t know what to expect’ when heading in for his surgery, noting that the tech sounded ‘so sci-fi’, he has since expressed his happiness with the results.
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After growing up playing video games, Arbaugh noted that this was something he’d ‘had to let go of’ after becoming disabled, however that’s all changed thanks to the chip.
He said: “Now I’m beating my friends at games, which really shouldn’t be possible but it is.”
Since then, Neuralink has had more success, as the company shared: “We successfully completed both P8 and P9 this weekend, our first time performing two surgeries in one day.
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“Both participants are recovering well and in great spirits. We are looking forward to supporting them on their Neuralink journey.”
Reporting on the breakthrough, Mike Moraitis from Men’s Journal shared that ‘Neuralink’s latest demo actually brought me to tears’.
The brain implant can be used to control things like a robotic arm to write or to play a video game and is set to become life-changing for people living with disabilities.
Musk said: “Neuralink will do life-changing good for ultimately millions, maybe billions, of people.
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“Imagine your loved one being able to walk again or your parent with dementia being able to recognize their child again.”