Quartz: Paralyzed people with Musk's brain chips can already work with the power of thought

Seven people who have been implanted with Elon Musk's Neuralink brain chip can already control computers, design 3D parts, and even continue to work despite severe paralysis. This was reported by American news website Quartz.

One such patient is 31-year-old Noland Arbeau, the first user of the Neuralink implant.

After a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the shoulders down, Arbo first used a brain chip to play video games. Now he edits websites, writes emails, does his banking, and even works, thanks to the power of his mind.

Another patient, Mike, became the first in the world to use a brain chip for full-fledged remote work. He works as a surveying technician and creates drawings in computer programs.

Former locksmith Alex, who lost the mobility of his hands, is using a brain chip to create parts in 3D again.

Neuralink is not the only company developing brain chips. American Paradromics recently performed the first implantation of its 1600-electrode chip in a human.

Precision Neuroscience has created an implant in the form of a thin film that does not need to be implanted into the brain – it lies on its surface.

Another company, Synchron, has developed a chip that can be injected through blood vessels without skull trepanation. It has already been implanted in 10 people. In the near future, it will receive Bluetooth connectivity with Apple devices.

UC Davis team develops UC Davis system that turns thoughts into speech in just 10 milliseconds.

The companies believe that in two to three years they will be able to produce the first commercial devices for people with paralysis or diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Such chips will help them use smartphones, computers, communicate and work.

• In May, Neuralink reported problems with a mechanical part of the device they first implanted in their patient's brain.