Christopher Furlong
Elon Musk shared an X post from the first patient to receive a brain-computer implant developed by his neurotechnology company, Neuralink, on Friday, calling it the “first ever post made just by thinking.”
His comments came after Neuralink showed Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old accident victim who had become paralyzed from the shoulders down, playing a game of chess on his laptop after receiving the implant.
The experimental device is designed to allow patients with neurological conditions to control a computer cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts without involving wires or physical movement.
“Twitter banned me because they thought I was a bot, @X and @elonmusk reinstated me because I am,” Arbaugh, an Arizona native, wrote.
Musk shared his comment on his social media platform, calling it the “first ever post made just by thinking, using the @Neuralnk Telepathy device!”
Previously, Arbaugh noted that his surgery to receive the implant was “super easy,” and “I literally was released from the hospital a day later. I have no cognitive impairments.”
“I don’t want people to think that this is the end of the journey, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but it has already changed my life,” he added.
Arbaugh is part of Neuralink’s ongoing FDA-cleared clinical trial to test its brain-computer interface technology, which includes its implantable brain device.
In January, Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and space exploration company SpaceX (SPACE), announced that the first study subject received the Neuralink implant. And without identifying the individual’s name, he said the person was recovering well.