Audrey Crews, a Neuralink patient who has been paralyzed for 20 years, has became the first person to publicly demonstrate that she could control a computer using only her thoughts, thanks to a brain chip developed by Neuralink, Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company.
Crews, also know as “Patient P9” by Neuralink, underwent surgery earlier in the month to have the chip implanted at the University of Miami Health Centre. Shortly after the procedure, she posted a picture on X (formerly Twitter) showing her digital signature and wrote: “I tried writing my name for the first time in 20 years.”
Her post quickly went viral and was confirmed by Elon Musk, who said she was controlling the computer entirely through thought.
What is Neuralink?
Neuralink was founded in 2016 by Elon Musk. The company is developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)—devices that allow the brain to communicate directly with computers or machines.
The company’s technology is aimed at people with neurological disorders or injuries, such as spinal cord injuries or paralysis. The goal is to help them regain control over basic tasks like typing, moving a cursor, or even walking—using only brain signals.
The company’s public roadmap includes three main product lines:
- Telepathy: A brain–computer interface that allows users with physical disabilities to control devices.
- Blindsight: A vision-restoration system that stimulates the visual cortex directly, bypassing the optic nerve.
- Deep: A platform designed to help manage neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
Neuralink has now implanted its devices in at least five patients. According to the company, all participants have demonstrated functional control over external systems using neural signals alone.
What does the Neuralink Chip do?
Neuralink’s brain chip records signals from the brain and sends them wirelessly to a computer. The chip uses artificial intelligence to decode what the person intends to do—like moving a cursor or typing letters—and turns those thoughts into actions on a screen.
In Audrey’s case, she was able to control a cursor on a computer and write her name just by thinking. Neuralink says that at least five human patients have received the chip so far, and all of them have shown the ability to control digital systems using their thoughts.
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