Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic, gained control of his body for the first time in January 2024 after undergoing a surgical implantation of “The Link”, a microchip, created by Elon Musk’s Neuralink Corp. Now, as the technology degrades inside Arbaugh’s head, experts worry about decreased performance as the technology becomes rapidly outdated.
Nolan Arbaugh, Nueralink’s first successful PRIME study participant, received “The Link” to assist with motor function after becoming quadriplegic in 2016.
Arbaugh, who suffered a spinal cord injury which led to eight years of immobility, said, “I knew that if I did this then it would take a lot of headache and heartache away from the people down the road.”
A “freak accident” left Arbaugh very limited in his actions. After a near decade of disability, he joined the ‘Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface’, or PRIME, study.
When the chip had been surgically implanted it had given him great progress, allowing him to be able to take more control and do things he hadn’t been able to do for the past eight years. “It’s definitely opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me just as far as what I’m able to do on a day to day basis,” said Arbaugh.
Neuralink Corp. is a neurotechnology company launched in the year 2016, which was founded by Elon Musk. The goal of the company says, “We are currently focused on giving people with quadriplegia the ability to control their computers and mobile devices with their thoughts.”
This company has created a chip named “The Link” that is equipped with 64 tiny wires that revolve around a thousand electrodes that reads neuron activity in the brain which then can connect to a phone or computer, according to the company.
Techno-Science wrote, “The concept is based on a miniaturized brain-machine interface. This chip, implanted in a brain region dedicated to movement, captures neural signals. It then transmits this data to an external device to interpret motor intentions.”
The chip is implanted in the region of the brain responsible for planning movement. The wires spread out and, equipped with electrodes, detect the neural signals emitted in this region. Signals caught by these sensors are sent wirelessly to the external computer in charge of motor function. The impulses are interpreted by an algorithm and executed to deliver movement.
“Neuralink is not alone in this field. Earlier initiatives, like Caltech’s in 2015, had already demonstrated that robotic prostheses could be manipulated using brain signals. Nevertheless, Neuralink stands out for its integrated approach and the promise of advanced miniaturization,” Techno-Science wrote.
Arbaugh was Neuralink’s first patient; they are well on their way to more successful surgeries. In August of 2024, their blog revealed that there had been a second patient, Alex, who is recovering after receiving an implant. He’s been enjoying playing video games and learning the software.
“‘The Link’ is a big step on the path of regaining freedom and independence for myself,” said PRIME study participant, Alex.