Neuralink patient posts on Musk's X 'just by thinking'
Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old quadriplegic, has made history as the first Neuralink patient to compose a post on X using only his thoughts. This remarkable feat was made possible by Neuralink's advanced cybernetic implant. The tweet humorously referenced Arbaugh's previous ban from the social media website due to bot suspicions. Elon Musk has hailed this achievement as the "First ever post made just by thinking, using the Neuralink Telepathy device!"
How Musk reacted to Arbaugh's post
Mind-controlled gaming before historic post
Prior to the social media interaction, Neuralink broadcasted a live update featuring Arbaugh playing Civilization VI and online chess using only his mind. In this demonstration, he successfully moved a computer cursor without any physical input, simply by visualizing the desired movement. This significant achievement highlights the potential of Neuralink's technology to empower individuals with physical disabilities to engage with digital platforms. Arbaugh likened his newfound abilities to having "the force," referencing the telepathic ability from Star Wars.
Arbaugh and the vision of Neuralink
Neuralink, established by Musk, is dedicated to connecting human brains to computers, primarily for patients with severe physical limitations. Arbaugh suffered a spinal cord injury eight years ago in an unexpected diving accident while serving as a summer camp counselor. He underwent the Neuralink procedure in January and was discharged from the hospital within a day. Despite this success, Arbaugh admitted that there is "still work to be done" to perfect the technology.
Expert perspective on the progress
Despite an encouraging start, Kip Ludwig, former program director for neural engineering at the US National Institutes of Health, cautioned that what Neuralink demonstrated was not a 'breakthrough.' He pointed out that it is still early days post-implantation and there is much to learn on both ends. However, he recognized it as a positive step for the patient to interact with a computer in a way they were unable to before the implant.
