Elon Musk’s brain-chip startup Neuralink made major headlines on Thursday when it released a video showing a patient, Noland Arbaugh, playing online chess and video games just by using his thoughts. Arbaugh, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down after a diving accident, was able to move the cursor on his laptop using the Neuralink device, a coin-sized chip that is surgically implanted in the skull. Founded in 2016, Neuralink aims to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI) by using ultra-thin wires to connect the brain to devices such as smartphones through Bluetooth technology.
In February of this year, Musk announced that the first human patient implanted with the Neuralink chip had fully recovered and was able to control a computer mouse with their thoughts. During a social media event, Musk also shared that the startup is now focused on increasing the number of mouse clicks the patient can make using their mind.
With this groundbreaking technology, Neuralink hopes to revolutionize how we interact with technology and enhance the lives of those with disabilities. The successful demonstration of Noland Arbaugh playing chess and video games with his thoughts is a promising step towards achieving this goal.
