Paralyzed man able to control computer with mind after getting Neuralink Implant

Neuralink has shared footage of its first human patient, a paralyzed man named Noland Arbaugh, who can control a computer with his brain through an implant in his head.

The neural-interface-technology company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, shared this via a stream on X formerly known as Twitter, an app he also owns. The 29 year old Noland who revealed that he became a quadriplegic after becoming paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident 8 years ago, said he was getting used to the technology.

In the stream, where he was having a conversation with a Neuralink engineer, he could be seen using his mind to control the cursor on his laptop while playing chess on the same device.

He added that he’d also been taking Japanese and French lessons through the same method.

“It’s crazy, it really is. It’s so cool,” said Arbaugh.

Musk commented under the stream, “Long-term, it is possible to shunt the signals from the brain motor cortex past the damaged part of the spine to enable people to walk again and use their arms normally”

Arbaugh who encouraged others to get into the human trials said there was still a long way to go as he reported no cognitive impairment as he was discharged from the hospital a day after the implantation.

“The reason I got into it was because I wanted to be part of something that I feel is going to change the world,” he said.