SHOCK footage of Elon Musk’s latest brain chip patient playing a shooter video game has been revealed after receiving life-changing surgery.
Controversial Neuralink is designed to help paralysed patients control digital devices with nothing but their thoughts.
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The company shared an update on their second user, Alex, who suffers with a spinal cord injury.
Since the accident, he’s had to rely on a mouth-operated stick with sip-and-puff pressure and lip position sensors to game.
But now the former automotive technician is able to play in part using his mind.
“Just running around is so enjoyable because I can look side to side, and not need to move Quadstick left and right,” Alex explained.
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“I can [think about where to] look and it goes where I want it to. It’s insane.”
A gameplay video of the first-person shooter Counter Strike 2 shows Alex take down enemies like any other gamer.
Neuralink said Alex’s surgery went well and he was discharged from hospital the following day.
They claim it took him less than five minutes to start controlling a computer cursor with his mind.
Using Neuralink’s Link device, Alex has also been able to work on projects.
By day two, he was using 3D design software without needing to rely extensively on his support system.
He even designed a custom mount for his Neuralink charger which was 3D printed.
“Taking an idea, putting it as a design, and actually having a physical item as a finished product makes me feel like I’m building things again,” Alex continued.
“The Link is a big step on the path of regaining freedom and independence for myself.”
Neuralink also shared an update on an issue experienced by their first trial patient.
What is Neuralink?
Here’s what you need to know…
- Neuralink is a project that aims to embed computer chips in people’s brains
- The idea is to give humans hyper-intelligence by merging them with artificial intelligence
- Tiny threads thinner than a human hair would pump information into your noggin
- It would work a bit like an internet cable, transmitting data in and out at high speeds
- As well as making us smarter, the project promises to merge us with computers and phones
- That means you could control your gizmos with your brain
- Neuralink is bankrolled by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk
- He’s previously said the tech could save us from a machine uprising in future
Some of the threads retracted from Noland Arbaugh’s brain shortly after being implanted.
This resulted in fewer effective electrodes which are essential for recording brain activity, affecting their ability to track the device’s speed and accuracy.
Writing in a blog post, Neuralink said that the threads have now “stabilised”.
To avoid a similar problem with Alex’s threads, experts reduced brain motion during the surgery and narrowed the gap between the implant and the surface of the brain.
The firm has shared details about future plans, saying: “We plan to enable the Link to interact with the physical world, allowing users to feed themselves and move more independently by controlling a robotic arm or their wheelchair.”
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Inside Musk’s wealth
Elon Musk is the world’s second richest man with an estimated net worth of $245billion.
The 53-year-old has co-founded six major companies, including X.com, which eventually became PayPal.
Ebay bought PayPal for $1.5billion in October 2002.
He used $100million from the sale to launch SpaceX, one of the world’s leading spaceflight companies, with ambitions to eventually travel to Mars.
The company also provides Starlink internet services beamed from SpaceX’s satellites.
Musk was an early investor in Tesla too and is now the electric car giant’s largest shareholder.
One of his most notorious business ventures was the takeover of Twitter, costing $44billion – which was later rebranded to X in a nod to his early success.
But Musk’s most controversial project is Neuralink, a firm that’s creating tech implants for the brain to help people with neurological disorders.
The South African-born businessman was the world’s richest man for some time but lost his crown in 2024.
He also broke the Guinness World Record for largest lose of personal fortune, estimated by Forbes to be around $165billion.
