Christopher Furlong
Elon Musk on Friday shared an X-rated post from the first patient to receive a brain-computer implant developed by his neurotechnology company, Neuralink, calling it the “first post ever made just by thinking.”
His comments came after Neuralink exposed Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old accident victim who was paralyzed from the shoulders down while playing 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 one,” wrote Arbaugh, originally from Arizona.
Musk shared his comment on his social media platform, calling it the “first post ever made simply by thinking, using the @Neuralnk Telepathy device!”
Arbaugh previously noted that his surgery to receive the implant was “super easy” and “I was literally released from the hospital the next day. I have no cognitive impairments.”
“I don’t want people to think this is the end of the journey, there’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s already changed my life,” he added.
Arbaugh is part of Neuralink’s ongoing FDA-approved clinical trial testing 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 by name, he said the person was recovering well.