First Neuralink patient shares first post on X using just his thoughts
- The man who received the first Neuralink brain chip posted to X for the first time using just his mind
- Noland Arbaugh had limited physical control but is now able to communicate and interact online
- The telepathic brain chip was implanted in January
Published on Mar 25, 2024 at 3:20 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Mar 26, 2024 at 8:12 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The man who received the first Neuralink brain chip has posted to X for the first time using only his mind – and Elon Musk is celebrating.
Noland Arbaugh was paralyzed in a diving accident which limited his physical control.
However, the device’s groundbreaking capabilities are opening new doors for him, allowing him to communicate and interact online solely through his thoughts.
After the Neuralink telepathy brain chip was implanted in January, he was able to post ‘just by thinking’.
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It was previously revealed that he could move a cursor by thinking – meeting expectations for the unprecedented tech.
A nine-minute video of the 29-year-old man showed him playing a game of chess and turning off the laptop’s music.
He posted on Friday, 22 March to his @ModdedQuad account on X.
”Twitter banned me because they thought I was a bot, and @X and @elonmusk reinstated me because I am,” he said.
A back-and-forth ensued between Arbaugh and the tech mogul who owns both the platform he posted to and the one who carried out the procedure.
“First ever post made just by thinking, using the [Neuralink] Telepathy device!” Musk said.
Musk also responded to the video.
“Long-term, it is possible to shunt the signals from the brain motor cortex past the damaged part of the spine to enable people to walk again and use their arms normally,” he said.
This milestone represents Neuralink’s progress toward aiding people with disabilities and paralysis.
Plans for further chip implants and advancements in the technology’s accessibility include Neuralink’s next product to help restore vision, Blindsight.
Both posts were inundated with positivity.
“This is the next big step towards a future in which blindness and paralysis will effectively be cured,” said one X user.
“This is very good news. Many lives will be changed for good,” a second said.
As always, there were skeptics, however.
“I’ve seen enough dystopian sci-fi films to know that there’s a 100 percent chance this ends horribly for humankind,” said one.
Neuralink is currently working on its first round of clinical trials for its ‘Prime Study’, which stands for ‘Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface’.
Budding participants can now register interest in the six-year project.
And hands-free technology has taken a leap elsewhere with this POV video showing how Apple Vision Pro glasses work in public.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
