Elon Musk’s Neuralink showed the first patient to receive a brain chip implant using the device to move a computer cursor to play a game of chess.
Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident eight years ago, was able to move the cursor around the computer using only neural signals.
In a livestreamed demonstration, Arbaugh said it felt like “using the force on a cursor,” referring to the metaphysical energy field in the Star Wars movie franchise.
This demonstration isn’t the first in the brain implant field. A device called Utah array was implanted in a paralyzed man’s skull back in 2004, which allowed him to control a computer cursor with his neural impulses.
However, the implant had to be attached to a device outside the brain to transmit data through wires, while Neuralink’s chip transmits data wirelessly and can be used at home.
To note, Neuralink is a private company, like most of its competitors such as Synchron, Onward, Precision Neuroscience and Blackrock Neurotech. Neuralink stands ahead of the pack as its chip offers a higher degree of precision.