Actress Han Hyo-joo introduces a clinical trial participant of global entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The second part, "brain implant," of the three-part KBS 1TV special "Transhuman," which airs on the 19th, follows the daily life of a participant in the clinical trial of the BCI company "Neuralink," founded by Elon Musk, in coverage by KBS, the first domestic broadcaster to do so.
The broadcast focuses on brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, which could expand human life. BCI technology can operate not only computer screens but also robotic arms simply by reading brain signals. It began in the medical field to help paralyzed patients return to daily life, and now its potential is drawing attention across various industries.
At the Nvidia GTC 2025 held this year in California, U.S., surprising announcements followed from Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, who is also well known in Korea for the "Kkanbu meeting" incident with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun. In the video, Jensen Huang said, "There are so many amazing things I want to tell you," sparking curiosity as he responded to fans' cheers. At Nvidia GTC 2025, Jensen Huang introduced Synchron, a BCI company Nvidia has invested in. Also, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are paying significant attention to the BCI field.
The BCI industry, which many big tech companies are watching, was shaken by the establishment of Neuralink, Elon Musk's BCI company, which brought many innovations through Tesla and SpaceX. The second part of "Transhuman" will, for the first time on a domestic broadcaster, reveal the daily life of Arvo Noland, Neuralink's first clinical trial participant in 2024. Noland, who was paralyzed below the neck in a diving accident, has been gradually expanding the boundaries of his life by freely communicating in the online world after receiving a Neuralink implant. Neuralink's BCI chip is about the size of a coin, has its own battery and connects to devices via Bluetooth.
Narrator Han Hyo-joo described him, saying, "The strangeness of feeling as if the body has become an electronic device has now become an ordinary part of life." In addition, "Transhuman" meets participants using various types of BCI technology besides Arvo Noland, and scholars who developed the technology. The program will explore how the brain controls computers while at the same time the computer supplements brain function, creating a new kind of "superhuman" never seen before. It will air Wednesday the 19th at 10 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by KBS.
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