Archive · 24 Jun 2025
First Neuralink Patient Draws With Mind, Demonstrates Capabilities
Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed, is the first person to have a Neuralink chip implanted in his brain.
This chip allows him to control things with his mind, like a computer cursor.
Recently, he drew pictures on a screen just by thinking about it.
He was able to draw flowers, the sun, and a house.
He now uses the chip daily and sometimes forgets that not everyone can do this.
Noland Arbaugh, the first Neuralink patient, can draw using his mind.
Arbaugh, paralyzed since 2016, received the Neuralink chip in January 2024.
Entrepreneur Velco Dar interviewed Arbaugh and drew with him on a shared canvas.
Arbaugh used the chip to control a cursor and draw digital images.
Arbaugh finds it easy to forget what he does with his brain is uncommon.
- Who
- Noland Arbaugh, the first Neuralink patient.
- What
- Noland Arbaugh is demonstrating the ability to draw using his mind with the aid of a Neuralink brain implant.
- When
- January 2024, when Arbaugh received the chip; the recent demonstration happened after that.
- Where
- Not explicitly stated.
- Why
- To show how a brain-computer interface (BCI) works, and how it can restore functionality to paralyzed individuals.
- Patient Name
- Noland Arbaugh
- Implant Date
- January 2024
- Company
- Neuralink
- Technology
- Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)
- Arbaugh's Condition
- Paralyzed below the shoulders
- Dar's Role
- Drew with Arbaugh on a shared canvas