🧠 Neuralink's first patient can control a computer with his mind

• Noland Arbaugh can now control a computer with his thoughts thanks to Elon Musk's brain implant from Neuralink.
• Despite his paralysis, Arbaugh has been able to play computer games and communicate online.
• He is the first public recipient of this implant, which has given him a new way to overcome his physical limitations.

An unexpected change

Noland Arbaugh was an ordinary student at Texas A&M University when his life took an unexpected turn. An accident at a summer camp in 2016 left him paralyzed from the neck down. He quickly had to adapt to a new life in a motorized wheelchair and learned to use an iPad with a stick in his mouth, writes Bloomberg.

In January, Arbaugh became the first person to receive a brain implant from Elon Musk's Neuralink as part of a clinical trial. The implant allows him to control his laptop by thinking commands. Since the implant was installed, he has been able to surf the internet and communicate with friends much more easily than before.

New daily life

Arbaugh, now 30 years old, lives with his mother, stepfather, and half-brother in Yuma, Arizona. Since receiving the implant, his daily life has changed significantly. He can now play computer games like Sid Meier’s Civilization and chess. He can switch between websites and audiobooks on his computer, doing all of this while lying in bed, which is much more comfortable for him.

Arbaugh uses his implant 10 to 12 hours a day and continues to explore new possibilities that the technology provides. He has started training Neuralink's software to recognize the words he thinks, hoping to one day write complete sentences through his thoughts. With this, Arbaugh hopes to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer.

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