Neuralink's Milestone: Paralyzed Patient Showcases Video Game Skills with Brain Implant
- IndiaGlitz, [Tuesday,March 26 2024]
Brain interface venture Neuralink started 2024 by announcing the success of the maiden human trial that Elon Musk led. Despite everyone raising doubts about the entire procedure, a trial subject emerged last week, shedding remarkable light on the company's work.
Noland Arbaugh was the center of attention at an event of the Neuralink company following a terrible accident while swimming, the kind of accident that, by all appearances, should have left him dead and paralyzed him. To an audience, some listening in some cases over a webcam, Noland Arbaugh demonstrated this new game, the racing game, demonstrating how he could control the interface extremely well. He managed critical movements, even strategically striking an enemy during play.
Arbaugh presented his abilities in the popular strategy game Civilization VI and his dexterity in general in using the capability of the Neuralink plant to play the game. Impressive as it could be, the application of Neuralink in gaming is inspiring but should be taken lightly, like what it should be. Telepathy neural interface, by Neuralink, is groundbreaking and forward-thinking. but hardly anything novel, without a doubt. Associated technologies enabling computer interaction for paralyzed individuals have existed.
Still, while the number of electrodes on Neuralink's device is higher, it reflects a general trend towards a future where something might be more possible in the application. It comes with a feature common to both previous products: it is wireless. Kip Allan Ludwig, co-head at the Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering, lauded Arbaugh's newfound computer interaction after the implantation. It wasn't necessarily game-changing compared to its predecessors, but for Ludwig, it did mark a nice stride in the context of neural interfaces.