Elon Musk Provides Update on First Nearalink Patient as He Reaches Major Milestone After Receiving Groundbreaking Brain Chip

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has shared a progress update on the first person to receive a brain chip that will allow him to control a computer and play video games with his mind.

The company announced that it has been more than 100 days since Noland Arbaugh had the device implanted in his brain – and the 29-year-old continues to do so.

Arbaugh suffered a life-altering car accident in 2016 while working as a camp counselor that left him with “absolutely no feeling” from his shoulders down.

His life changed again on January 27 when he underwent a 30-minute procedure in which a ‘sewing machine-like’ robot removed a small piece of his skull and stitched the chip into his brain.

However, Neuralink revealed that some of the wires connected to the chip were retracted weeks after the operation, resulting in a decrease in the number of effective nodes, but adjusted the algorithm to boost signal translations.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink shared a progress update on becoming the first person to receive a chip that allows him to control a computer with his mind

“Our goal is to provide a powerful interface that will improve control of digital devices for people with quadriplegia, unlocking their personal and professional potential,” Nuerlink shares in a blog.

“The first step toward this goal was taken just over 100 days ago at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, where Noland Arbaugh, the first participant in the PRIME Study, received his Neuralink implant (Link).”

Before having Link, Arbaugh could only use a tablet stylus in his mouth to operate a tablet — and his caregiver had to place it in his mouth.

Although this was his only form of communication, Arbaugh experienced discomfort, muscle fatigue, and pressure sores from holding the stylus.

“The biggest benefit of comfort is being able to lay in my bed and use (the link),” Arbaugh shared in a message he typed with his thoughts on a computer.

“Any other assistive technology had to help someone else or let me sit up.

Arbaugh can move a cursor around the screen using the external brain chip in his head. He enjoys playing Mario Kart (pictured) with friends

‘Sitting causes mental and physical stress, which can cause pressure ulcers or spasms.

‘It allows me to live in my own time, without anyone having to correct me all day long, etc.’

Just weeks after the surgery, Arbaugh was able to operate his laptop using Link, which he did to play computer games with friends, surf the Internet, live stream and use other applications on his MacBook.

“(The Link) has helped me reconnect with the world, my friends and my family,” he said.

‘It has given me the opportunity to do things on my own again without needing my family day and night.’

Arbaugh spends up to eight hours a day contributing to research, but spends more than ten hours a day on weekends on personal activities.

Neuralink said he recently used the device for a total of 69 hours in one week: 35 hours of structured sessions and another 34 hours of personal use.

The company did mention that some of the wires attached to the chip had withdrawn from the brain, but the Neuarlink team adjusted the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to signals from neural populations.

This resulted in ‘improving the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and improving the user interface.’

Nueralink said it is now focusing on improving cursor control performance to the same level as that of able-bodied individuals.

“In the future, we plan to extend the Link’s functionality into the physical world to enable control of robotic arms, wheelchairs and other technologies that can help increase the independence of people with quadriplegia,” the company said.

While Arbaugh’s progress update is hopeful for those who are also paralyzed, this achievement has not come without a cost.

DailyMail.com revealed in February that horrific animal testing was carried out to bring Musk’s brain chip project to life.

A week after the billionaire announced that the first patient study was underway, documents revealed that the company used ‘Bioglue’ to patch holes in the monkeys’ heads after surgeries.

The documents released by the University of Davis, California, which collaborated with Neuralink in tests for three years from 2017 to 2020, show that monkeys each underwent operations on their skulls up to 10 times before being put down.

Surgeons drilled into their heads and implants were attached to their brains, but they didn’t fit properly — meaning they protruded, the filing shows.

Death reports show monkeys having parts of their limbs amputated and euthanized after experiencing repeated vomiting and diarrhea.

All told, Neuralink has killed at least 1,500 animals, including sheep and pigs, in its search for a chip that would allow people to control electronic devices with their minds.

The documents were obtained by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a campaign group, which says the monkeys suffered ‘extreme suffering’ during a ‘systematic disregard’ for their lives.