April 1, 2025 – A Year After Neuralink Implant: Noland Arbaugh Reports No Side Effects and New Abilities
Noland Arbaugh, the first human subject to receive a Neuralink brain-computer interface (BCI) implant, has shared an update on his progress one year after the procedure. In a post on social media platform X, the quadriplegic individual revealed that he has experienced no physiological or psychological side effects from the implant. Arbaugh humorously mentioned that the only “side effect” he’s encountered is a growing dependency on being connected to the device.
Despite his positive experience, Arbaugh’s implant did face an initial challenge with 85% of its electrodes becoming displaced. However, Neuralink was able to overcome this hurdle by upgrading the software to enhance the performance of the remaining electrodes, ensuring the device continued to function effectively.
Elon Musk, the co-founder of Neuralink, has revised the surgical procedure following Arbaugh’s experience, and at least two additional patients have now received implants. Arbaugh is actively assisting the Neuralink team by helping to shorten calibration times, optimize algorithm models, and providing feedback on his user experience. He wrote, “The debugging process can be tedious, but I know it’s crucial.”
In March 2024, Arbaugh publicly demonstrated how he could control a laptop cursor with his thoughts, allowing him to browse the web and play games. This technology works by using thin, implanted electrodes to read brain signals and convert them into Bluetooth commands to control external devices.
Neuralink is now exploring the possibility of using the chip to control robotic arms, a prospect that Arbaugh eagerly anticipates, joke that he has been “constantly pestering the team for a robotic arm.” Regarding the potential for wheelchair control, Arbaugh is cautious and emphasizes the need for absolute safety before he would consider using such a feature: “I don’t want to accidentally speed into traffic.”
The chip has already significantly improved Arbaugh’s life, allowing him to perform tasks on his computer solely with his thoughts, which he previously had to do using a mouth-controlled joystick. Neuralink plans to expand its trials and recruit more quadriplegic volunteers, with the goal of eventually benefiting thousands of patients.
