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Elon Musk says his Neuralink brain chip could help paralysed people ‘walk again’.
Yeah, in case you’d forgotten, as well as his businesses with cars and space, the billionaire is also co-founder of an neurotechnology company.
Earlier this year, Neuralink announced it had successfully implanted a brain chip into a human for the first time.
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And yesterday (20 March), a nine-minute live stream on X showed a bloke being able to use ‘telepathy’ to play chess on a computer.
29-year-old Noland Arbaugh was paralysed from the neck down after a diving accident and was implanted with the Neuralink chip in January.
In the video, the 29-year-old demonstrated how he could play chess using only his mind – rather than his mouth like he usually does.
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Arbaugh seems to be buzzing with the results of Musk’s team’s creation, as he said: “It’s been awesome, it’s been so cool and I’m kicking ass too.”
And it seems the benefits of being able to use the mind to control things might not be all that’s in store for those fitted with the chip.
As millions of people viewed Neuralink’s live stream on X, Musk chimed in with further possibilities of the invention.
He replied: “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.”
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Users said the possibilities of this brain chip ‘are truly endless’ adding: “I can’t wait to see how much this helps humans.”
Another user joked: “Imagine someone controlling an Optimus with their Neuralink,” referencing the robots developed by Tesla.
And Musk actually responded: “Optimus limbs, replacing lost human limbs, could ultimately be controlled with superhuman dexterity by an implanted Neuralink.”
Others said: “I have a buddy who just lost his leg. Neuralink gives him hope.”
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While one put: “Amazing — So many lives will be changed forever…”
And another even added: “Bro, that’s f**kin insane, that’s like God’s work.”
Many shared the video of Arbaugh playing chess and called it a ‘turning point in history’ and said: “Innovation like that is a reason I call Musk a hero.”
Earlier this year, experts criticised Neuralink over transparency as Marcello Ienca, professor of ethics of AI and neuroscience at Technical University of Munich, told Forbes: “What truly puzzles me about this is not the technology itself but the way of communicating scientific news.”
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Ienca criticised the use of ‘casual social media updates’ and said it ‘seems to sidestep the established protocols that underpin scientific integrity’ preventing experts from evaluating or understanding ‘the full scope and impact’ of any claims.
But with this new video, it seems people are pretty impressed with the Neuralink development.
Topics: Elon Musk, Technology, Science, Health
Jess Battison