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First paralysed man to have Elon Musk's brain chip explains what he did for the first night
Home>News>Technology
Updated 20:07 30 Jul 2025 GMT+1Published 16:00 27 Mar 2024 GMT

First paralysed man to have Elon Musk's brain chip explains what he did for the first night

It is set to revolutionise science and medicine

Tom Earnshaw

Tom Earnshaw

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The first human to have one of Elon Musk's Neuralink brain chips implanted in his skull has spoken out about what he's been up to since it was placed in his head.

SpaceX and Tesla founder Musk set up Neuralink back in 2016 with an end goal of creating implantable computers in the human brain.

And last week, the future became the now after the first person to receive a Neuralink brain implant showed off what it has allowed them to do.

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29-year-old Noland Arbaugh is paralysed, having become a quadriplegic following a serious car crash in January this year. But following the chip being popped in to his dead, he can now control a computer cursor with his brain. Yes, really.

It's allowed him to play virtual chess in a fascinating video showcasing the device over on Neuralink's X account.

The end goal for Neuralink is to help paralysed people walk again, with Musk saying on X: "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."

Noland Arbaugh.
@ModdedQuad/X

But what has Arbaugh done since he revealed his implant earlier this month?

Well for starters, he spent his first day - and all night - playing video games.

Speaking to Neuralink scientist Bliss Chapman, Arbaugh said: "One of the first times you all gave me complete control over this , I actually stayed up until like 6am playing Civilization 6.

"It was worth it, I think is the best way to put it, it was awesome."

It might seem like a small gesture but for Arbaugh, his disability meant he had been forced to give up playing the video game he loved because of his mobility issues.

Arbaugh playing Mario Kart.
@ModdedQuad/X

He said: "It wasn’t feasible for me to play a full game or anything.

"Now I can literally just lie in bed and play to my heart’s content. Honestly the biggest restriction at this point was having to wait for the implant to charge once I had used all of it."

Footage shared by Arbaugh on his X account also showed him playing Mario Kart; something that 'blew his mind' after finishing second in a race.

And the only reason he lost? His dad wasn't going to just let him win.


He said: "Playing Mario Kart and coming in second repeatedly blew my mind, I didn’t think that would be possible a week in to using it, that was freaking wild.

"Even though my dad and my buddy wouldn’t let me win."

Don't expect the Neuralink brain implant to be available just yet, though. Trials are expected to continue for years as part of the 'PRIME Study: Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface'.

Featured Image Credit: X/@ModdedQuad

Topics: Elon Musk, Gaming, Good News, Health, Science, Technology, World News, Neuralink

Tom Earnshaw
Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible Group in 2024, currently working as SEO Lead across all brands including LADbible, UNILAD, SPORTbible, Tyla, UNILAD Tech, and GAMINGbible. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

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@TREarnshaw

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