What happened when Neuralink implanted its brain-computer interface in a human for the first time?

The answer

In January 2024, Neuralink implanted its N1 brain-computer interface in Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old quadriplegic paralyzed from the shoulders down after a diving accident. The device, called Telepathy, features 1,024 electrodes on 64 ultra-thin threads (each thinner than a human hair) implanted into the motor cortex by a precision surgical robot. Within weeks, Arbaugh was controlling a computer cursor with his thoughts, playing chess and video games, and browsing the internet - all without any physical movement. Arbaugh described it as using "the Force." A technical challenge emerged when some threads retracted from brain tissue, reducing data throughput, but Neuralink adapted its algorithms to compensate. A second patient was implanted in mid-2024 with improved thread placement techniques.