Paralysed Man Using Neuralink Implant Can Play Video Games

A 29-year-old man, paralysed from the shoulders down for eight years following a diving accident, has become one of the first users of Neuralink's brain implant technology. Noland Arbaugh was introduced on a livestream, demonstrating how he was able to play the real-time strategy game Civilization and online chess using the Neuralink device.

During the livestream, Arbaugh showcased his ability to control the cursor on the screen, stating, "If y'all can see the cursor moving around the screen, that's all me. It's pretty cool, huh?"

Neuralink, co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk, known for his involvement in Tesla, SpaceX, and the recently rebranded X (formerly Twitter), has developed a brain-computer interface system that decodes movement intention from brain signals. The primary goal of the technology is to enable paralysed individuals to control a cursor or keyboard using their thoughts.

Arbaugh explained his experience with the device, saying, "I would attempt to move, say, my right hand left, right, forward, back, and from there I think it just became intuitive for me to start imagining the cursor moving." He added, "I just can't even describe how cool it is to be able to do this."

Neuralink's engineers have stated that more details about the product will be released soon, following the US FDA's approval for the company to begin initial human trials, allowing them to recruit paralysed participants to test the device.

The brain implant is inserted using a surgical robot developed by the company and is cosmetically invisible once in place. The software running the device has been designed to analyse brain signals and translate them into output commands to control external devices.

While Neuralink has not disclosed the number of users currently testing the device, Musk announced the first user in January and later claimed in February that the first user was recovering well.

Arbaugh emphasised the importance of the technology, stating, "I don't want people to think that this is the end of the journey. There's a lot of work to be done. But it has already changed my life."

Despite criticism surrounding Neuralink's approach to animal testing and its lack of registration on ClinicalTrials.gov, a US government repository containing information about medical studies involving human subjects, Arbaugh sought to allay any safety concerns, saying, "I think, like, there's nothing to be afraid of. The surgery was super easy. I literally was released from the hospital a day later."