In a live broadcast from the startup company "Neuralink," owned by Elon Musk, the first patient to have a chip implanted was shown using his mind to play chess online. Noland Arbo, a 29-year-old patient who became paralyzed from the shoulders down after a diving accident, was seen playing chess on his laptop, moving the cursor using the "Neuralink" chip during the broadcast on Wednesday. The goal of the chip implant is to enable people to control the computer cursor or keyboard through their thoughts alone. Last month, Musk announced the company's chip implantation in Arbo's brain, allowing him to control the computer mouse using his thoughts.
In the segment broadcast on the platform "X," formerly known as Twitter, Arbo stated, "The surgery was extremely easy. It literally allowed me to leave the hospital the next day. I don't have any cognitive disabilities." He mentioned his experience with the video game "Civilization 6," saying, "I had lost hope in playing that game. You all gave me the ability to do that again, and I played for 8 continuous hours." However, he added that experiencing this new technology is "not perfect," and they have faced "some issues." He concluded, "There is still a lot of work to be done, but it has truly changed my life."
Cape Ludwig, former director of the neuroengineering program at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, remarked, "This is still in its early days following the chip implantation, and both Neuralink and the patient have a lot to learn to maximize the understanding of the control that can be achieved."
