--- title: "First Neuralink Patient Using It to Learn New Languages" description: "In a tweet, Neuralink patient Noland Arbaugh revealed that he's spending roughly three hours a day learning French and Japanese." date: "2024-08-29" modified: "2024-08-29" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/first-neuralink-patient-using-it-to-learn-new-languages" categories: - "Brain" - "Health & Medicine" - "Neuroscience and Brain" tags: - "brain computer interface" - "elon musk" - "neuralink" - "video games" --- # First Neuralink Patient Using It to Learn New Languages ![In a tweet, Neuralink patient Noland Arbaugh revealed that he's spending roughly three hours a day learning French and Japanese.]() *\Image: Neuralink\* The [first human patient]() of Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink is keeping busy seven months after having a small chip implanted in his skull. Noland Arbaugh, who lost control over his limbs after a diving accident eight years ago, even has a new nickname for the tiny coin-shaped device: "Eve." In a [lengthy post]() on X-formerly-Twitter, Arbaugh revealed that he's spending roughly three hours a day learning French and Japanese using the gadget. He's even "decided to relearn my math from the ground up in preparation for hopefully going back to school one day." Outside of personal projects, he's spending roughly four hours a day, five days a week with Neuralink staff, which involves him "doing lots of experiments on a daily basis to try and make everything better for all those who come after me." Arbaugh had the chip implanted earlier this year and has since learned to move a cursor with his mind, even allowing him to [play video games](). But months into the experiment, Arbaugh noticed that he [started losing much of the chip's functionality](). Neuralink engineers discovered that some of the threads connecting the chip to his brain [had retracted](). Fortunately, Neuralink [managed to intervene]() by making adjustments to the algorithm and recovering much of the functionality. The company also [claims it has fixed the issue]() with its second human patient by embedding the threads even deeper. Now that much of the functionality has been restored, Arbaugh is hoping to go back to his alma mater to finish his degree or switch to neuroscience, since he "might have some insight to the field at this point." Arbaugh has big hopes for the brain chip and the things it could enable him to do one day. In an [earlier tweet](), he revealed that "we're waiting for FDA approval allowing me to control other physical machines such as a car, a drone, maybe a robot or two or 10,000." "Something about making sure it's safe..." he added jokingly. **More on Neuralink:** *[Latest Patient Implanted With Neuralink Is Using It to Play "Counter-Strike 2"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()