Video shows first human Neuralink brain chip patient playing chess ‘by thinking’

IMAGE of Elon Musk Neuralink brain chip has been revealed, showing off a man’s new “telepathic” abilities.

Musk’s Neuralink technology is intended to allow someone to control their phone or other device with their mind, the CEO said.

29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, a Neuralink human subject, demonstrated the technology in a post shared by Musk on WednesdayCredit: X/neurallink

In the video, Arbaugh shows off his chess skills without ever touching the computer that hosts it, while also explaining how he learned to use the chip.Credit: X/neurallink

“This involved having to think about moving the computer cursor left and right, and from there it just became intuitive to me,” the tester explained as he learned how to use the chipCredit: Neuralink

Musk reposted a Neuralink video of the first of its human testers demonstrating the technology on Wednesday.

“Livestream of @Neuralink demonstrating ‘Telepathy’: controlling a computer and playing video games just by thinking,” his caption read.

In the video, the tester, 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, talks about his experience playing an electronic chess game on a large screen.

Arbaugh was paralyzed after a “freak diving accident” that dislocated two of his vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, he explained in the video.

The company has previously said that Neuralink’s mission is to restore autonomy to individuals with “unmet medical needs,” with a vision to “unlock human potential” in the future.

After receiving FDA approval for the first human clinical trials in May 2023, Arbaugh is the first of six people to be cleared to test the chip after hundreds of animal tests.

In the video he shows off his chess skills without ever touching the computer where it is hosted.

“See that cursor on the screen? That’s all me… it’s all brainpower,” he said as an accompanying Neuralink engineer looked at the computerized chess game.

Arbaugh then elaborated on how he started learning to use the brain chip.

“So we started trying a few different things,” he began.

“We actually went from what we would call ‘imagined movement’ versus ‘attempted movement,’ and we started with an attempt to move.”

“This meant I had to think about moving the computer cursor left and right, and from then on it just became intuitive to me,” the tester finished explaining.

Arbaugh has been paralyzed since 2016 when he was injured while working at a summer camp for children. Since then, he has had “absolutely no feeling” from his shoulders down.

Neuralink’s potential to improve lives is phenomenal.”

Kerri GrayX (formerly Twitter)

“This is one of the things you guys have enabled me to do… I haven’t really been able to do much in the last few years,” he said of Neuralink.

The tester then explained the feeling he had the first time he got results while trying to move the computer mouse telepathically.

“It would just move to where I wanted it to be, it was such a wild experience… it’s crazy, it’s crazy,” he recalled.

“I feel so lucky to be a part of this, every day it feels like we are learning new things.”

Although he’s the only one experiencing it firsthand, Arbaugh isn’t the only one amazed by the technology’s success so far.

“Absolutely amazing inspiring stuff. One day this will help paralyzed people walk again,” one user wrote.

“Another Elon Musk company that improves the condition of man! Elon loves humanity! His results speak for themselves!” added another user.

“Neuralink’s potential to improve lives is phenomenal. Great job Neuralink,” read another comment.

HUMAN SUBJECT CONTROVERSY

While Arbaugh is now all smiles and has more access to tasks and recreation than before Neuralink, news of the chip’s impact on his first human subject was met with divisiveness.

In a speech at the company’s headquarters in December, Musk talked about the speed at which Meuralink would move forward with human testing.

“We want to be extremely careful and make sure it will work before we put a device in a human,” he said.

“Progress may seem painfully slow at first, especially as it applies to humans, but we are committed to bringing it to scale in parallel.”

In late January, Musk posted an announcement that Arbaugh’s procedure had been completed, which drew mixed reactions from the public.

Many people had reservations about moving from technology to human subjects.

“The negative potential of this makes me very uncomfortable,” one person wrote in a reply to Musk’s X-post.

“I’m terrified just thinking about it,” said another.

Someone else replied: “Elon can turn off this fear with a chip in your brain.”

“Matrix time,” said another, referring to the iconic dystopian film.

“The first cyborg is born,” said a fifth.

Others, meanwhile, were amazed by the progress and shared their excitement about seeing the results.

“Good job Neuralink and Elon!! This could very well be an important moment in history,” one user wrote.

“This is great news, we are expanding to the last two borders. Space and spirit, I can’t wait for the next company lecture. So excited!” said another.

‘EXTREME SUFFERING’ IN ANIMAL TESTING

In April 2021, Neuralink shocked the world with a video of a macaque known as Pager with one of the chips playing Pong.

The animal was seen manually using a joystick and then operating it only with its mind through a wireless connection to the chip.

Neuralink reportedly implanted Bluetooth chips in the brains of several monkeys to see if they could communicate with computers through a small receiver.

Some subjects are believed to have “suffered infections from the implanted electrodes placed in their brains,” according to a complaint filed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

The group filed a complaint with the USDA, claiming it had evidence that macaques used in previous trials had suffered horrific suffering.

In 2022, the USDA opened a federal investigation under the Animal Welfare Act, Reuters reported.

About 1,500 animals — including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys — have reportedly died as a result of Neuralink testing since 2018, the outlet reported, citing data it reviewed.

The company was accused of subjecting animals to ‘extreme suffering’, including drilling holes into the skull of one monkey.

Neuralink conducted its monkey experiments in collaboration with scientists at the University of California, Davis.

“No monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant. First, in our early implants, to minimize the risk to healthy monkeys, we chose terminal monkeys (sic) (already almost dead),” Musk replied in a meme on X.