Thanks to Elon Musk

There is a chip in the brain that can turn your ideas into computer commands sounds like science fiction – but it’s the reality of Noland Arbaugh.

January 2024 – After he was paralyzed for eight years, the 30-year-old became the first to obtain such devices from the American neurotech company Neuralink.

This is not the first chip like this – a few other companies have developed and implanted them – but Noland inevitably attracted more attention thanks to Neuralink founder Elon Musk.

But Norland said it is important that it is neither he nor musk, but science.

He told the BBC that he knew the risks of what he was doing – but “good or bad, whatever I might help”.

“If everything is solved, then I can help be a participant in the nerves,” he said.

“If something terrible happens, I know they will learn from it.”

Noland, Arizona, was paralyzed under his shoulder in a 2016 dive accident.

His injury was so severe that he was worried that he might not be able to study, work or even play games again.

“You just have no control, no privacy, it’s hard,” he said.

“You have to learn that you have to rely on other people to do everything.”

Neuralink Chip hopes to restore a small part of his former independence by allowing him to control the computer with his own mind.

It is called the Brain Computer Interface (BCI), which detects tiny electric impulses that a human considers moving and converts it into digital commands, such as moving the cursor on the screen.

Scientists have been working on this as a complex subject.

Inevitably, Elon Musk’s involvement in the field has made technology-Noland Arbaugh the headlines.

It helps nerves attract a lot of investment – ​​and a review of what is a very invasive procedure for security and significance.

When Norland’s implant was announced, Experts call it an important milestonewhile also warning that it will take some time to really evaluate – especially considering that Musk is good at “promoting for his company.”

Musk was in a cage in public at the time, only writing in a social media article: “The initial results showed promising neuronal peak detection.”

In fact, the billionaire — who spoke to him before and after the surgery — was more optimistic, Noland said.

“I think he’s just as excited as I started,” he said.

Nevertheless, he stressed that the neural world differed more than its owners, claiming that he did not consider it to be an “Elon Musk device”.

Does the rest of the world look like this? Especially considering his increasingly controversial role in the U.S. government – Still to be seen.

But there is no doubt that the device has had an impact on Noland’s life.

When Noland woke up from the surgery to install the device, he said he was initially able to control the cursor on the screen by considering shaking his finger.

“Honestly, I don’t know what will happen – it sounds sci-fi.”

But seeing his neuron spikes on the screen – surrounded by the excited Neurick staff – he said “all of this has sunk”, and he could only control his computer with his own ideas.

And – Over time, his ability to use implants has grown so much that he can now play chess and video games.

He said: “I grew up playing games.

“Now I beat my friends in the game, it’s really impossible, but it’s.”

Noland is a powerful demonstration of the technology’s potential to change lives – but there may also be drawbacks.

“One of the main issues is privacy,” said Anil Seth, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Sussex.

“So if we are going to export brain activity (…), then we can access not only our work, but our thoughts, our beliefs and our feelings,” he told the BBC.

“Once you can get into something in your mind, there are no other barriers to personal privacy left.”

But these are not worried about Norland – instead, he wants to see the chips develop further in their abilities.

He told the BBC that he hopes the device will eventually control a wheelchair and even a futuristic humanoid robot.

Even though the technology is in its current, more limited state, not everyone is sailing smoothly.

At one point, the device’s problem caused him to completely lose control of the computer because it was partially disconnected from the brain.

“It’s really frustrating to say the least,” he said.

“I don’t know if I can use Neuralink again.”

The connection was fixed when engineers tweaked the software – and was subsequently improved, but it highlights the concerns that experts often express about technology limitations.

Neuralink is just one of many companies that explore how to leverage the power of our brain digitally.

Synchron is such a company, which says it aims to help people with motor neuronal disease need fewer surgery.

Instead of opening brain surgery, it is installed into a person’s neck jugular vein and then moved upwards through the blood vessels into their brain.

Like Neuralink, the device ends up connecting to the brain’s motor area.

“It becomes important when someone wants to tap or not tap your finger,” said Chief Technology Officer Riki Bannerjee.

“By being able to obtain these differences, it can create what we call digital motor output.”

That output then converts it into a computer signal, which 10 people are currently using.

One such person doesn’t want to use his last name, he told the BBC that he was the first person in the world to use Apple’s Vision Pro Healths Desive device.

Mark said that allowed him to take a vacation almost far away – from standing in Australia’s waterfalls to strolling in the mountains of New Zealand.

“In the future I can see that this technology can really make a difference for people with this paralysis,” he said.

But for Noland, his Neuralink chip has a warning – he agreed to participate in a study that has installed it for six years, and the future is not very clear after that.

No matter what happens, he thinks his experience may just be scratching the surface that will one day become reality.

“We know very little about the brain, which allows us to learn more,” he said.

Other reports from Yasmin Morgan-Griffiths.