Neuralink First: Patient Uses Brain Implant to Make YouTube Video

The first nonverbal Neuralink patient to receive the implant is showing how he uses the technology—narrating and editing a YouTube video through brain signals.

Brad Smith is the third person globally to receive a Neuralink brain chip implant and the first individual with ALS to undergo the procedure.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that mainly targets motor neurons—nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movements.

Impact of Disease Progression on Muscle Control and Daily Functions

As the disease progresses, patients gradually lose voluntary muscle control, impacting their ability to speak, eat, move, and breathe on their own.

Last week, Smith shared a YouTube video demonstrating how he uses his brain implant in everyday life.

“He explained that the brain-computer interface (BCI) lets him control the cursor on his MacBook Pro with brain signals and edit the video himself, which he claims is the first ever edited using Neuralink or any BCI.”

“Surgeons implanted the device—about the size of five stacked quarters and containing over 1,000 electrodes—in his motor cortex.” According to Smith, Neuralink doesn’t continuously read his thoughts but instead deciphers brain signals that reflect his intended cursor movements.

Finding the Most Effective Way to Control the Cursor

At first, he attempted to control the cursor by imagining hand movements, but he found it more effective to think about moving his tongue and clenching his jaw to guide the cursor and simulate mouse clicks.

“Researchers used AI on recordings of Smith from before he lost the ability to speak to generate a synthetic version of his voice, allowing him to narrate the video in his own voice.”

In another video with reporter and Musk biographer Ashlee Vance, Musk called Smith during a visit from Neuralink’s team to his home.

“I hope this is a game changer for you and your family,” Musk said.

“I’m excited to get this in my head and stop using eye-gaze,” Smith said through his computer. “In his video last week, Smith explained that he had been communicating using eye-gaze technology, but noted that it only worked in dark rooms.” Neuralink’s implant, he said, lets him communicate outdoors and in varying lighting.

Neuralink Enables Smith to Play Video Games with His Kids

The Neuralink implant also allows Smith to play video games with his kids, with footage showing him playing “Mario Kart.”

“It took years to get here, and I still break down and cry,” Smith told Vance for his Substack publication Core Memory. “It is really nice to have a purpose greater than me. I am really excited to serve others in the future with this work.”

BI has contacted Smith for further comment.

Neuralink, which had previously been tested on monkeys, implanted its device in a human for the first time in January 2024. Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic who became the company’s first human patient, shared with BI that the implant has allowed him to regain independence, take more control of his life, and form new social connections.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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