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Big Technology Podcast

Neuralink's First Patient Controls Computers With His Mind — With Noland Arbaugh

Big Technology Podcast

Alex Kantrowitz

Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Business News, Business, Religion, Science, Philosophy, Society & Culture, Entrepreneurship, Management, Marketing, Politics, News Commentary, Government, Investing, Tech News, Social Sciences, News

4.6395 Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2024

⏱️ 68 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Noland Arbaugh is a 30 year old quadriplegic who can control computers with nothing but his mind. Earlier this year, he allowed Elon Musk’s Neuralink to drill a hole in his skull, insert more than one thousand electrodes into his motor cortex, and translate his brain signals into cursor movement and clicks. In this week's Big Technology Podcast, Alex Kantrowitz interviews Arbaugh at his Yuma, Arizona home in a conversation that covers his injury, the Neuralink selection process, the surgery, the training, the freedom the device gives Arbaugh, and the big questions like whether he'd ever merge with AI. Tune in for a fascinating conversation about a modern day technological miracle. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Transcript

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0:00.0

Nolan Arbaugh is a 30-year-old quadriplegic who can control a computer with nothing but his mind.

0:06.7

Earlier this year, Arba allowed Elon Musk's Neurraling to drill a hole into his skull,

0:12.1

insert more than 1,000 electrodes into his motor cortex, and translate his brain signals into cursor movement and clicks.

0:21.1

I traveled to Arbaugh's home in Yuma, Arizona to discuss his selection, the surgery,

0:27.8

the miracle of being able to operate a computer after being confined to a chair

0:32.2

and whether he'd like to merge with AI someday.

0:35.4

That's coming up on a special edition of Big Technology podcast

0:38.8

right after this. Hi, I'm Jonathan Fields. Tune in to my podcast for conversations about the

0:46.4

sweet spot between work, meaning, and joy. And also listen to other people's questions about

0:52.3

how to get the most out of that thing we call

0:54.2

work. Check out SPART wherever you enjoy podcasts.

0:57.4

Have you been feeling the effects of stress, burnout, or anxiety at work? Listen to the

1:04.8

Anxious Achiever podcast to rethink the relationship between your career and your mental health. Get the anxious achiever

1:12.5

wherever you find your podcasts and walk away with practical advice you can implement today.

1:19.1

Welcome to Big Technology Podcast, a show for cool-headed, nuanced conversation of the tech world

1:24.8

and beyond. Today we come to you from the home of Nolan Arbaugh,

1:28.7

Neurlinks first patient, for a conversation about the technology that's allowed him to

1:34.2

experience the digital world without restriction for the first time since being paralyzed eight

1:40.2

years ago. Here's my conversation with Nolan Arbaugh. Nolan, welcome to the show. Thanks, man. Thanks for having me. So you're the first

1:48.7

Neurilink patient, just to introduce what that means. You have a device on the back of your head

1:54.5

that has about 60 threads that have been implanted into your brain, and you can control computers with your mind

2:02.2

via the signals coming through that device. Is that the gist of it?

...

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