Paralyzed Man in His 20s Plays 'Chess Game'
Multitasking by Talking While Gaming
Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink revealed footage of the first quadriplegic patient implanted with a semiconductor in the brain enjoying an online chess game.
On the 20th (local time), Neuralink in the United States live-streamed on social media platform X the process of 29-year-old patient Noland Arbo, who became quadriplegic due to a diving accident, playing an online chess game on a laptop.
In the video, a man is seen sitting in a black chair playing online chess. He does not move his hands but shifts his gaze back and forth. The cursor moves following his gaze. This is controlled using brainwaves, and there is no separate device around his head. Sounds of chess pieces being placed can be heard even while he is talking with a man giving him instructions beside him.
Elon Musk, who leads the neuroscience startup company Neuralink, has for the first time revealed a video of a patient with a computer chip implanted in their brain playing chess using only their thoughts. [Photo by Neuralink X]
He is a patient implanted with a brain-computer interface (BCI) chip. The BCI chip converts brainwaves into electrical signals, enabling interaction with electronic devices.
He underwent Neuralink’s BCI chip ‘N1’ implantation surgery last January, and within a month, he synchronized his intention (brainwaves) with the cursor movement. As time passed, data accumulated, making movements easier. The procedure was simple. He said, “I was discharged a day after the chip was implanted.” This is the first time a patient implanted with Neuralink’s chip has been shown controlling a device purely by thought.
"It feels like applying the Force to the computer cursor"
Elon Musk, who leads the neuroscience startup company Neuralink, has for the first time revealed a patient with a computer chip implanted in the brain (photo) playing chess using only their thoughts. [Photo by Neuralink X]
While playing chess, Arbo mentioned 'Star Wars.' He said, “It feels like applying the ‘Force’ (telekinesis) to the computer cursor.” Besides chess, Arbo enjoys computer games such as ‘Civilization VI.’ He suffered a spinal injury and became quadriplegic due to a diving accident in 2016.
He added, “I had given up gaming after the 2016 accident, but Neuralink helped me play again after 8 years,” and “I played games for 8 hours straight.” Regarding the semiconductor implantation surgery, he praised it as “so simple that I was discharged from the hospital in one day.”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) evaluated that Arbo’s multitasking?playing chess while conversing?was a rare sight in existing brain-computer interfaces (BCI). The ability to multitask means higher usability in daily life.
Earlier, Musk stated last month regarding Neuralink’s clinical trials that “the condition of patients implanted with the chip is very good, and they were able to move the mouse cursor on the screen using only their thoughts.” However, there is significant ethical controversy surrounding the Neuralink chip in the United States.
A neurosurgeon who left Neuralink pointed out, “Every time an electrode passes through the brain, some damage occurs to brain cells,” and added, “If the goal is to help quadriplegic patients, this is unnecessary.”
Neuralink was also criticized for using animals in experiments. Last year, foreign media estimated that about 1,500 animals, including sheep, pigs, and monkeys, died due to Neuralink’s experiments since 2018. Following these claims, the U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated Neuralink for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
After being rejected once due to safety concerns, Neuralink received clinical trial approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September last year. Four months later, they succeeded in implanting telepathy devices into patients’ skulls, connecting the brain and computer. Nevertheless, the company only announced the success and remained silent about the telepathic communication content and patient identities.
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