Fremont, CA – May 2, 2025 – Neuralink, the brain-computer interface (BCI) company founded by Elon Musk, has reached a significant milestone by successfully implanting its N1 device in a third human patient, as announced by Musk in January 2025. This development, part of the ongoing PRIME study, underscores Neuralink’s progress in enabling individuals with paralysis to control digital devices using only their thoughts.
The N1 implant, a coin-sized device equipped with 1,024 electrodes across 64 ultra-thin threads, is surgically inserted into the brain’s cortex by a precision robotic system. The latest patient, whose identity remains undisclosed, joins two prior recipients: Noland Arbaugh, implanted in January 2024, and Alex, implanted in August 2024. Both have demonstrated remarkable abilities, including playing video games, browsing the internet, and, in Alex’s case, learning 3D design software. Arbaugh set a new BCI benchmark by achieving a data transfer rate of over nine bits per second, doubling previous records.
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Neuralink’s PRIME study targets patients with quadriplegia caused by spinal cord injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The company expanded its U.S. trial to include five volunteers and launched a Canadian trial for six participants in November 2024. Musk revealed plans to implant 20–30 more individuals in 2025, with potential international studies to accelerate progress. Additionally, Neuralink received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in April 2025 to explore restoring communication for those with severe speech impairments and approval for a feasibility study combining the N1 implant with an experimental robotic arm.
Despite these advancements, Neuralink faces challenges. Ethical concerns, including data privacy and equitable access, remain prominent. Past animal testing controversies, particularly from 2017–2020 at UC Davis, drew scrutiny for adverse effects in monkeys, leading to USDA and SEC investigations, which were disrupted in January 2025. Competitors like Synchron, with its less invasive Stentrode device, and Blackrock Neurotech, combining neural recording with stimulation, are also advancing, with over 45 BCI trials globally.
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Neuralink’s valuation has soared to $8.5 billion, with talks of a $500 million funding round underway. While the company’s vision extends to treating blindness, depression, and enhancing cognition, experts caution that commercial availability is years away, pending rigorous safety and efficacy data. “BCI technology is very exciting, but we need more clinical data to determine the best approach,” said Marco Baptista of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
For more information on Neuralink’s trials, visit neuralink.com.