The first human recipient of Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip has been captured in a mesmerizing video showcasing his ability to play chess with his mind.
Noland Arbaugh, a participant in Neuralink’s human trials, demonstrated the capabilities of the implant in a video shared by Musk. In the video, he is able to play chess and control a cursor using only his mind.
Arbaugh, who suffered paralysis from a “freak diving accident” eight years ago, recounted his experience as the inaugural user of the Neuralink device.
The video, reposted by Musk on X (formerly Twitter) from Neuralink’s original livestream, showcased Arbaugh’s remarkable feat of playing chess without physical interaction with the computer hosting the game.
Sitting beside a Neuralink engineer, Arbaugh controlled the game entirely through his thoughts, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of brain-computer interface technology.
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Arbaugh’s demonstration highlighted the seamless integration of the Neuralink implant with his cognitive functions.
“We basically went from what we call ‘imagined movement’ versus ‘attempted movement,’ so a lot of what we started out with was attempting to move, say my right hand”, Arbaugh explained on the process.
“From there, it just became intuitive for me to start imagining the cursor moving. Basically, it was like using the force on a cursor and I could get it to move wherever I wanted it to.
“Just stare somewhere on the screen and it would move where I wanted it to.”
Arbaugh shared how he felt when he realised he was able to move things with Neuralink: “It was such a wild experience … it’s crazy, it really is. It’s so cool. I’m so freaking lucky to be a part of this, every day it seems like we’re learning new stuff.”
As Arbaugh shared his remarkable journey, people were astonished and impressed at the Neuralink results.
One person wrote on X: “Absolutely amazing inspiring stuff. Some day this will help paralyzed people walk again.”
“Another Elon Musk company that improves the condition of human! Elon loves humanity! His results speak for themselves!” added another user.
“The potential of Neuralink to improve lives is phenomenal. Great job Neuralink,” read another comment.
Musk’s initial announcement of the first human implant had sparked controversy in late January, with many concerned about the dangerous consequences of the project.
“The negative potential of this makes me very uneasy,” one person wrote in a reply to Musk’s X post. “I’m terrified by the thought of it,” said another.
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