Hear from first brain implant NEURALINK patient

@neuralink surprised us with an update on their first human trial by interviewing the recipient, 29 year old Nolan, in his home
Nolan, a complete quadriplegic, says the device has already changed his life.
#neuralink
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[@ChrisDaubitz]

I'm registered for Neuralink human trials! This is wonderful news! Thanks Ellie!

[@officialwildcardadventures]

🙌🏼

[@Mrbfgray]

In my mind--diving is well known for broken necks.

[@Persianking1997]

Congratulations 🎊 you'll be a robot soon

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Best wishes Chris, hoping it opens up possibilities we haven't even dreamt of yet!

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

​@@Persianking1997Sci-Fi brain goes straight to Cybermen "You will be upgraded"

[@johnzuver]

I am also a quadriplegic and had several interviews with Neuralink about the prime study. It would be amazing to play games like that again. I eagerly look forward to whatever the next few years entail. Congratulations on your implant :-). - NeuraLink give me a call sometime :-)

[@panpiper]

Here's hoping you don't have to wait long.

[@arniekando6846]

Wow did not realize the feedback is so extremely precise.

[@YouTube_username.]

The Civ all nighter is a human right, rightfully restored. Professor X is hilarious

[@tomschuessler7723]

This is an incredible time to be living, to see folks overcoming issues in life. Nice job Ellie.

[@JackWaldbewohner]

Ellie, you"scored a home run with bases loaded" with this podcast. It will be my Op-Ed this morning!!

[@HarryNicNicholas]

when i was a teenager i read everything by arthur clark, asimov, heinlein, poul anderson, john sladek - you name it, those stories are happening.

[@panpiper]

Elon Musk is the hero protagonist of a Heinlein novel.

[@NOM-X]

WTF! That is amazing, and I hope it leads to more improvements. Freaking Amazing! That can help with my fellow disabled combat vets. I hope the VA adopts it. Thanks for the episode Ellie. Keep'm coming. - NOM

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Fully functional artificial limbs under direct control from the brain, you just know a soldier somewhere is going to mod an arm to include a fold-out weapon and armour like the Winter Soldier. They'll need new classes to compete in at the Invictus Games, but it's gonna be fun to watch.

[@ross077]

I'm happy for Nolan and that Neuralink is improving his quality of life.

[@jamesengland7461]

This really moved me to watch Nolan be set free in some small way ❤

[@briandoe5746]

Nine different humanoid robot companies, a few different AI companies that might have a self-aware or sentient AI, a computer that matches that capability and speed and structure of the human brain turning on next month, and now we have actual cyborgs on earth. This is one hell of a year and it's only March

[@akira28shima32]

He should legally change his name to Professor X.

[@johnmodeste6616]

Good one 😂😂

[@Crunch_dGH]

I'd go with Tensor!

[@nokinlkr9826]

😂😂

[@spaguyster]

We all know Elon will eventually be Ironman. 😂

[@53glowe]

This has so much potential...I'm thinking neural link controlled robotic limbs. This is stunning technology 👍

[@MichaelWinter-ss6lx]

That is not new, but other chips have only a dozen connections.

[@evanohardnick3927]

One day he will magically move is hands with his mind..best news ever😮

[@markhuebner7580]

Awesome! Go Neuralink, go Elon!

[@MrKatanaSan]

That is pretty amazing to witness!! Thank you for sharing! Hope everything progresses well for Nolan ❤

[@jimcabezola3051]

Mahalo nui loa for sharing THIS, Ellie! I'm stunned to see the happiness on this man's face now that he has this implant. This is the start of a new life for him and others like him. Aloha, Ellie...and Nolan!

[@markb2773]

Thank you Ellie...this story is amazing!

[@Muonium1]

I've been casually following technologies related to BMIs like Utah arrays etc. for decades and this is tremendously exciting; no one will be able to convince me otherwise. Congrats on being by far the first "media" outlet to report on this. I also think it's very interesting that they obviously went out of their way to choose an unusually highly intelligent man as the first test patient. I'd subscribe to his channel immediately if he had one here.

[@zagreus5773]

But isn't this old technology? Controlling a mouse with your brain is possible for decades and without an implant. An EEG cap alone is enough.

[@justiceifeme]

@@zagreus5773 The difference between neuralink and prior BCIs (Brain Computer Interfaces) like the ones that use EEG Caps is the level of fidelity and consequently the responsiveness of the device. It takes a lot of effort, focus and practice to be able to consistently move a cursor on a screen using an EEG, with any break in focus leading to a somewhat "laggy" experience, due to the skull severely limiting the signal reception from the brain (talk-less of sending signals back into it). That's why many BCI endeavors in this field prefer looking for more innovative solutions to get higher bandwidth signals from deeper in the brain that are still less intrusive like using ultrasonic sound and or infrared light (to detect, measure and change blood supply activities in the brain), stentrodes (inserting stents into the blood vessels in the brain), fMRI machines (for dynamic and deep brain scanning and triggering of neuron activation), and a few others I might not be aware of yet. But the tried and true method of getting the exact, clear and precise signals to and from the brain is simply sticking electrodes directly into it, pass the skull and right next to the neurons. Example of this would be the Utah array (a BCI that was basically a large square chip with 100 spikes on it that gets stabbed directly on the brain that sent and received electric impulses from the brain) which was used primarily to treat mental diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It and other intrusive BCIs like it have paved the way in the development of BCI technology, but have so far been limited by the many challenges involved with their intrusive nature. Neuralink is different in the sense that it's built upon all the lessons and solved many of those challenges such as making the BCI chip fully enclosed and battery powered (no longer having wires sticking out of your head to send and receive signals from the brain), basically reduced if not eliminated the severe inflammatory immune response that often led to scarring around the implantation points (which reduced the effectiveness and lifespan of the implant), increased the number of electrodes from 100 to 1024 (a 10x increase that improves fidelity and bandwidth), as well as, making the electrodes extremely thin and flexible to account for the natural movement of the brain as blood flows through it (this also reduced inflammation and scarring), and using a surgical robot for the implantation surgery instead of a neurosurgeon (the electrodes are too thin and have to be inserted without damaging blood vessels, so no doctor could perform the surgery). So yeah, it's a massive improvement from just using an EEG cap to move a mouse cursor, it has many more functions that have just begun testing in humans; this short clip is just the beginning. Eventually the neuralink implant will be able to restore sight, hearing and mobility to the blind, deaf and physically disabled, but just giving this guy the ability to competitively play his favorite video games for hours unassisted with relative ease is plenty already (he doesn't need somebody to put on and setup the EEG cap to do it, its already in his head).

[@Muonium1]

@@zagreus5773 You CAN do this with EEG, or MEG, or with extreme difficulty possibly fNIRS, but the signal to noise ratio of brain activity outside the skull is horrendous and the use of such an interface for moving a cursor for instance is awful and takes extreme, focused concentration. Look at the ease and fidelity with which he is moving the cursor here and how readily he controls the location to do common tasks. An EEG alone is definitely not enough. Having direct access to the electrical impulses of individual cortical columns is everything, they're reading out the activity of thousands of individual neurons in real time and there is a huge amount of data to feed the cursor control algorithm with. This kind of cursor control has been done with conventional Utah and Michigan arrays before, but I assume they're starting simple here to recreate past achievements first to validate their more novel approach using "threads" and a completely wireless external data transmission. If nothing else, the mere achievement of wireless operation is a significant advance with this device; just looking at those old, absolutely abominable transcranial contraptions that left a patient with a ring of permanently unhealed scalp and that huge electronics box literally bolted to the outside of the skull is just beyond awful. It's scandalous that they're even still being used at all on experimental trials in the present era when we've had many high speed wireless data transmission protocols for so many years.

[@MichaelWinter-ss6lx]

The amount of control goes far beyond this. Other implants can maneuver a robot arm. These are being tested for several years, but thy only have a dozen connections. This here goes far beyond.

[@zagreus5773]

@@MichaelWinter-ss6lx What precisely do you mean with "control goes far beyond it"? That is a pretty nebulous statement.

[@davidbeppler3032]

I have had dozens of people tell me that Nuralink should be banned because, "they ain't gonna put a chip in my head!" This is not a joke. They honestly think this man should be forced to be unaided for life. They want him to suffer, so they feel better about themselves. That is what is wrong with this country.

[@iamaduckquack]

So long as it isnt forced upon the masses. Stuff like this has a habit of being cool until certain people get their hands on the tech.

[@TheBuckeyeJeff]

@@iamaduckquack Very true. That happened with the Internet and then years later the same thing with cell phones.

[@iamaduckquack]

@@TheBuckeyeJeff Society definitely went downhill with Internet/social media.

[@rnielvhinsieans.elpidama6935]

@@iamaduckquack yeah but if it has significant advantage if you have it people will inevitably put one in their brain

[@martinwoollett8468]

time will tell, the good side is people around the world are slowing learning the problem is are leaders and we are all just humans wanting a good life.@@iamaduckquack

[@barefootID]

Thank you Elon. I DO LOVE YOU!!!!!

[@winsurfer123]

Thank you Ellie for shedding some light on this marvelous break through.I was curious as to how this trial was going. Thank you to Nolan for being a true pioneer into this ground breaking technology. It's good to see the light of hope in this young mans eyes. Thank you Elon for undertaking this much needed task. Best wishes for all involved.

[@olebloom1641]

Damn! That's awesome. Can't wait to see what else he can do beyond other devices that have similar capabilities. Good on you for rushing this out.

[@Mrbfgray]

Just the beginning. He'll be walking if not running eventually.

[@JV-dr1ti]

Thinking about all the amazing people in history that could’ve benefited if this was available during their time.

[@michaelfink64]

Amazing! This will be life changing for many people.

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

This is the Alpha version, and is already bringing positive impact. Nolan is a hero to many for volunteering and working to create real change for folks with the same issues to deal with. Add the Tesla robot and a little AI to interpret the brains signals, and the options for telepresence are massive - mentally driving the robot body to do the physical caring things, lifting body in and out of bed, wiping your own bum, feeding yourself, and controlling an exo-skeleton built around the robots limb technology to be able to walk down the street and catch a bus, or hold down a job. Heck, get the robot connection right, add in Starlink, and a bloke like Nolan could drive the robots walking around the outside of space stations doing the construction work, or catch and release on satelites. Bloody amazing.

[@panpiper]

I can't watch this without tears.

[@lordinquis8r679]

Thanks, Ellie! AMAZING!

[@gregsmith1116]

Cool! Hope he gets better!

[@grahammitchell9415]

Magnificent, thank you for sharing this.

[@Allicrocogator]

Amazing. Thanks for breaking the story!

[@errolplata45]

Excellent story. Thanks for the info/update.

[@peterlamere1982]

This person feels the link is is an amazing success. That is incredible and they are only just getting started with learning about what it is capable of. I think there is an amazing future here with this technology. It is a great advancement in biotechnology.

[@Flatwoodsdad]

I just subscribed. Been watching yor SpaceX stuff for awhile and always enjoy it. Best of luck on the channel and keep the content coming.

[@chrisofnottingham]

Thanks for posting this.

[@paultaylor765]

Cool to see NL at work . I hope to see it advanced to able communicate with his limbs. Welcome to "The Borg" collective

[@Crunch_dGH]

Great editing job, helps getting the good words out.

[@robertkerby2581]

Wow, absolutely Amazing!

[@moosethompson]

So amazing! Thanks for sharing.

[@AnthonyWilsonOlympian]

Nice job, Ellie!

[@SebastianWellsTL]

Absolutely incredible!

[@gerhardkrohmer7729]

Thanks!

[@chrishvs]

Staring at a place on the screen can be done by other technologies as well. However, using the brain is amazing. I would like to understand more about what he is able to do and what he needs to do in order for that to happen. Also, if they are able to use his implant in order to record thoughts, dreams and another activity.

[@LuMaxQFPV]

Neuralink will also cure the urge to shoot in portrait mode.

[@helenlast2]

Im really amazed watching this

[@SanctuaryLife]

It sounds like in the short term at least, that turn based strategy games will be the go to for neuralink patients, given that, I highly suggest Heroes 3 Might and Magic, you will absolutely love it.

[@Ralpha1961]

Soon these people will be playing the piano. Orchestrating a symphony. Flying drones. And other unimaginable things.

[@toddmarshall7573]

Kudos Ellie

[@GodIsLoveEternally888]

wow this is incredible!

[@Oblivionsurveyor]

Nice coverage Ellie

[@tubepets8055]

Thanks. I also seen some people use like a laser ? device on some type of glasses to type into the computer.

[@ulrichmietz8232]

Didn’t know this tech was that advanced already ❤

[@officialwildcardadventures]

Amazing!!!

[@zarl5238]

Fantastic...now they need to have neuolink to the legs and arms

[@nathansuss]

This stuff is incredible

[@premrapson2034]

Amazing!!

[@Condor-uc2lw]

Incredible this will male so many peoples lives so much better

[@isonlynameleft]

Finally, we can really help people!

[@ReelRoula]

Amazing! 👍

[@markcarr3411]

Put a digital pad on the wheel chair and my man will be mobile. Great to see that he’s doing well and enjoying his experience.❤❤❤

[@weezereire83]

We are the borg. Resistance is futile.

[@AsterothPrime]

Lol, he could change his name to Locutus

[@JonathanStory]

Great video. The link seems only one-way though. I wonder if there's to be a two-way link with the brain?

[@mulletshizzle]

Love your content! Not like other elon channels that repeats the same stuff, regurgitating the same content. They also have the same guests to push hopium and speculations. Brighter, Randy K, Farz. etc.

[@wolfgarratslammer]

I'm a huge supporter of advancing space tech but this seems much more important. I hope the development team is completely unrestrained by resources for this.

[@budmanzoom4441]

This would be great for ALS patients.

[@goukux5908]

It makes me wonder if maybe the next step is to link up his brain with his arms and legs so he can regain mobility, or failing that an exoskeleton.

[@donjones4719]

Linking the top of a spinal cord to the area below the break is one of the ultimate goals of the Neuralink program.

[@lourdessilva6442]

Sem palavras isso sim são projetos em prol da preservação da raça humana eterna gratidão continue assim

[@arcadealchemist]

in terms of Nerons havbing a translation method and a way for brain singles to communcate with the chip it all just happens at that point more so in FLOW state.

[@minigpracing3068]

I'm glad they gave it to someone that really needs it, not some wealthy jerk that just wanted it for a new show off thing!

[@ryanhartsell5418]

Imagine the screen having buttons... Buttons that control his wheelchair. Telekinetic travel! That would be so baller!

[@Bjarky]

Wow

[@timlaughman7074]

Man he can move a chair I could see in the future he could have some kind of suit. Wow and I know it ain’t been that long since he got it. Great story.

[@BnORailFan]

Sounds like Nuralink needs a supercharger. They need to talk to Tesla about that! 😂😂😁😁

[@robr177]

I'm not skeptical, but I am cautious. I am curious what the trial agreement says about possible side effects. I know there were some issues with some of the monkeys, such as with infections around the implants, but I'm sure they have solved that issue. I would just be cautious about saying this is the greatest thing ever, until we know how it is over the long term. That is what this trial is about. Not what it can do, but how people handle it.

[@donjones4719]

This is a FDA-approved trial. All of the usual caveats and warnings are made clear - and I'm sure it's doubly so because this will be so high profile. Yes, some experimental meds have turned out to have bad effects over time, but avoiding this problem means avoiding progress. Indeed, "saying this is the greatest thing ever" can come back to bite you, but anytime there's a big promising breakthrough the media use phrases like that, they can't resist.

[@FrankDTank-lf4dq]

I like your videos but please put some audio isolation on the walls to mitigate reverberation

[@It-b-Blair]

“First they’re willing to make a media statement” 😜😅😭👌

[@iamaduckquack]

Imagine if it gets an update that gets corrupted.

[@gurudas379]

Watching you from India 🇮🇳❤️

[@xxgil2]

This is how it starts…

[@user-in5gm4xt7e]

Chat: Play counter strike 😂😂😂

[@ryankelly5303]

Bad ass.

[@ravencroftgraphics3d]

i wonder if fluid typing can be done (without programs like dictation or dragon)?

[@ShinkaTV]

I'm imagining (Tesla bot) prosthetics controlled by Neuralink chips. The Elon age is so wild!

[@blueman9483]

The end is near

[@Polyvinci]

WE ARE BORG!

[@mikewallace8087]

Sprouting Human Beans .

[@Alex_Torres.]

😮

[@mikewallace8087]

The Sea Eye Aye is smiling.

[@orinhickman1721]

I wonder if it could be synced with his wheel chair.

[@toadsauce8091]

I would imagine eventually you could drive a robot body with it.

[@zachbull6499]

couldn't you do the same thing with eye tracking technology like Apple Vision Pro are is the eye tracking technology not requiring a headset not good enough yet

[@happosai]

This is better than Apple Vision Pro.

[@jeffmentzer9186]

Where's the credit for the interview?? Anyone can repost something.....

[@chelsiestinson9494]

Will the chip eventually help him actually move his limbs again?

[@Mallchad]

Eventualy. It's possible. He'll have to get multiple extra implants to make that happen though, which is a bit annoying. but totally possible and a main goal. The neuralink team have already demonstrated involuntary control of limbs using the neuralink

[@migs7220]

The diodes get sewn into specific regions for different tasks. So, as the tech evolves, absolutely! That is a lot of bandwidth to modulate each limb and he would need a lot of physical therapy. I think recent vicitms of these tragedies would be better subjects for testing, but that is just conjecture.

[@MichaelWinter-ss6lx]

Nothing yet. Still needs help to turn on the pc, to eat, etc. The chip can do. Other chips do that already. Hope he gets his exoskelet soon.

[@adamhadam72]

Quadriplegic

[@gregsteele806]

Wonder if he could fly a drone?

[@jimshreve83]

But can we make him cluck like a chicken? Now he can lay in bed all day playing on the computer every man's dream.

[@ernstoud]

The Matrix.

[@gracerodgers8952]

When he sleeps does it record his dreams 🤔 I wish him well

[@AsterothPrime]

Wont be long until that is possible. it can already record sound from thoughts. So you can at least listen to your dreams

[@salon1025]

what's happening with your microphone?