Elon Musk’s technology predictions can sometimes seem straight from the pages of science fiction.
And now the billionaire has made one of his most astonishing claims yet: He says his Neuralink brain chips will one day allow paralyzed people to walk again.
His claims come as Neuralink shared a video of one of the first human patients playing chess telepathically.
The chip currently allows the brain to connect to computers, but Musk says it could one day allow the brain to communicate with paralyzed parts of the body.
In a post on to use their arms normally.”
Elon Musk said on X, formerly Twitter, that his Neuralink brain chip could be used in the future to help paralyzed patients regain control of their limbs and even walk again.
The Neuralink chip works by inserting very fine wires into parts of the brain to measure its activity. The device then sends these signals to computers, allowing the patient to control them remotely.
The Neuralink brain chip has been in development since at least 2016, when Musk founded Neuralink as a medical research company.
However, it wasn’t until January this year that the company revealed that the first human patients had received the implant.
In a livestream on X, a paraplegic man, Noland Arbaugh, 29, was shown using the Neuralink chip to play chess on his computer.
Mr. Arbaugh has been paralyzed from the neck down since a “freak driving accident” eight years ago.
However, after implanting a Neuralink chip in the first wave of human trials, Arbaugh is now able to interface directly with a computer.
“See that cursor on the screen? It’s all me…it’s all intelligence,” Mr. Arbaugh said, moving his computer cursor from his wheelchair.
Comparing the ability to use “The Force” from Star Wars, Mr. Arbaugh says he loved playing chess before the accident robbed him of his mobility.
He adds: “It’s one of the things that you all allowed me to do…I wasn’t really able to do much in the last few years.”
The disabled man, who suffered a freak diving accident eight years ago which left him paralyzed from the shoulders down, has managed to play online chess using only his mind.
Musk shared livestream of paralyzed man Noland Arbaugh, 29, using Neuralink chip to play chess using ‘telepathy’
The Neuralink chip (pictured) is quite small compared to previous brain-computer interface devices, but still needs to be surgically implanted.
Musk previously announced that early human trials showed “promising detection of neuronal spikes.”
However, this video offers a first real look at the impact the brain chip could have on the lives of paralyzed patients.
The chip itself works by integrating 64 threadlike electrodes into various sites in the brain.
These wires are able to record spikes in brain activity and send that data wirelessly to a computer that uses machine learning to interpret the brain activity.
On X, Musk announced that the first Neuralink patient was recovering well and that initial tests were promising.
Musk described the procedure as “like replacing a piece of skull with a smart watch.” Pictured: A visual of what the electrodes will look like once implanted in the brain
To receive the chip, patients must have a small piece of their skull removed so that a “sewing machine-like” robot surgeon can implant each of the wires.
Then, the robot surgeon stitches up the hole, leaving only a small scar around the incision.
Musk says that during the 30-minute operation, patients do not need to be put under general anesthesia and should be able to go home the same day.
Mr Arbaugh said the operation was “super easy” and there was “nothing to worry about”.
During the operation, a “robot seamstress” removes a small piece of the skull, connects the wire-like electrodes to certain areas of the brain, sews up the hole and the only visible remains is a scar left by the incision.
Currently, the Neuralink chip functions as a “brain-computer interface,” meaning it allows people to control a computer using their brain activity.
In Mr. Arbaugh’s case, as Neuralink engineer Bliss Chapman explained during the live stream, he can move a cursor by imagining or attempting to move his arms.
But Musk now suggests the chip could also be used to send signals from the brain to other parts of the body.
This would be particularly helpful for people with spinal cord injuries and, according to Musk, could even allow them to regain use of their limbs.
Nolan Arbaugh (right, with a Neuralink engineer) became the first person to use Neuralink technology and says the implant operation was “nothing to worry about.”
In theory, a signal in the brain’s motor cortex could be recorded by the brain chip and sent to a second device embedded lower in the spine, below the damaged part.
This device could then somehow replicate or reproduce the signal from the brain, thereby triggering muscle activation in previously paralyzed areas.
Although it may seem far-fetched, there are already a growing number of real-world examples where this technique has been successful.
For example, a team of Swiss neuroscientists used a “digital bridge” to allow a paralyzed man to climb stairs and walk more than 100 meters.
In another case, researchers used a similar technique to regain partial control of hand muscles, allowing a paralyzed man to play Guitar Hero and have a drink.
However, Musk has yet to provide further details on how Neuralink plans to implement this technology or when it might arrive.
Despite its lofty aspirations, Neuralink has not been without controversy.
In particular, Musk’s company has faced heavy criticism for its allegedly cruel treatment of laboratory animals, including monkeys.
As MailOnline exclusively revealed last month, the company is housing thousands of animals to test the technology.
These experiments saw staff drill holes in the monkeys’ heads and fill them with glue.
Documents revealed the monkeys underwent skull operations up to 10 times before being put down.
At least 1,500 animals were killed during the development of the chip, including monkeys, pigs and sheep.