How a drunk dial from a friend led to paralyzed man becoming Neuralink's ... trends now
A mid-day drunk-dial from a friend has changed one man's life forever.
Noland Arbaugh, 29, rose to fame after being revealed as Neuralink's first patient to receive its brain chip, but it all started when his friend called slurring his words in September.
Arbaugh was paralyzed eight years ago during a diving accident.
The friend called Arbaugh to tell him about Elon Musk opening up human trials and urged him to apply and even helped him fill out the form.
Just five months after he was approved for the Neuralink trial, Arbaugh had a cutting edge brain chip embedded in his skull.
Noland Arbaugh became the first person to receive a Neuralink brain chip implant when he applied in September
Arbaugh was paralyzed from the neck down during a diving accident eight years ago
Since undergoing the brain chip implant surgery, Arbaugh has made waves by playing an online game of chess using only his mind and pulling an all-nighter to play video games for the first time since he was paralyzed from the neck down during a diving accident eight years ago.
In an hour-long video posted to X, Arbaugh shared that he had never heard of Neuralink until six months ago when he received the now-infamous drunk call from his friend.
He said his friend was a biology major who worked in a neuroscience lab and called to tell him that Neuralink had just received FDA approval and had opened up clinical trial applications and that Arbaugh should apply.
'I was like, 'What the hell is Neuralink,' Arbaugh said, adding: 'The best part of the story is he was wasted when he did it. He was drunk and calling me at noon.'
Neuralink brain chips transmit signals to the body's nerves which are translated into motor controls
Arbaugh said his friend helped him fill out the application form online, and even though his friend had misspelled his name, he still was offered an interview.
When the interview slots opened, Arbaugh chose the earliest one each time, hoping it would give him an advantage of being selected to receive the brain chip.
He did take time to consider whether receiving the brain chip was something he wanted and had to weigh the pros and cons and what this would mean for his family.
'I definitely took time to step back and evaluate all of the downsides that I could
