The first human patient to receive a Neuralink implant has recovered well after the procedure, and is now able to "move the mouse around the screen just by thinking," says Elon Musk. Now the Neuralink team is working on button presses to augment the mouse movement ability. It seems like the subject can think into action just one mouse button for now, with work already ongoing to use click and drag and to implement more buttons.
"The first human Neuralink patient seems to have made a full recovery with no ill effects and is able to control the mouse around the screen just by thinking." — Elon Musk pic.twitter.com/0E8qFyLehOFebruary 20, 2024
In the embedded audio clip above Musk can be heard discussing the success of the Neuralink brain-computer interface human implant in a Spaces event on X, originally broadcast late on Monday.
It has been about three weeks since the human subject went through the controversial operation to have a Neuralink brain chip implanted. Musk commented on the success of the operation just a day afterwards, saying “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.” Today, things have come a lot further if mousing around is possible.
As PC and gaming enthusiasts, many readers will be aware that controlling a mouse and the mastery of a rodent are two distinct things. At one extreme, the Neuralink subject’s mousing might be slow to respond and inaccurate. At another, this wired-up human might be on the brink of being an eSports tournament slayer. We have no idea of the skill level at this time.
As we mentioned in the intro, the brainwave-induced mouse movements are still in the early stages of progress. The audio clip has Musk suggesting that more mouse operations, extra buttons, and other skills will be worked on as the implantee becomes accustomed to this new control interface.
The development of Neuralink has great potential for enhancing the lives of people with impairments or disabilities, for example. However, the firm has faced criticism from several angles. We note Wired’s alarming report that up to a dozen monkeys had to be euthanized after Neuralink experimentation. More recently nonpartisan research institute The Hastings Center was damning of what it called Neuralink’s “science by press release.” Moreover, the Center concluded its piece by reminding onlookers that “When the person paying for a human experiment with a huge financial stake in the outcome is the sole source of information, basic ethical standards have not been met.”
If you are weighing up Neuralink versus the best wireless gaming mice currently available, we think there is still some time development needed for the former to come up to scratch.
