Skip to content
ContentLora

    Tip: press / anywhere to search.

    organization

    Neuralink

    Also known as Neuralink Corp, N1 Implant, Telepathy

    Neuralink is a US company developing the N1, a skull-mounted wireless brain implant whose electrode threads are inserted by its R1 surgical robot.[1] As of January 2026 it reported 21 trial participants worldwide and no serious device-related adverse events; it is testing the device for computer control and, since October 2025, for restoring speech.[2][3][4]

    Editor reviewedStrict sourcingUpdated Neuroscience and brain-computer interfacesHealth and medicineLife sciences
    Key facts

    What it builds

    Neuralink’s N1 is a skull-mounted, wireless, rechargeable implant. It connects to fine electrode threads that the company’s R1 robot inserts into the brain.[1] The company calls its computer-control product Telepathy.[5] Neuralink says Telepathy records from the brain areas that control the muscles of the hands and arms and turns those signals into digital commands.[6] Unlike surface arrays, the threads go into brain tissue, like the needles of the older Utah array, and keeping them in place has been a challenge.[1][7]

    Clinical trials

    Neuralink’s first study, PRIME, is a first-in-human early feasibility study in people with tetraplegia from spinal cord injury or ALS. It started on January 9, 2024.[8] By June 2025 the company had trial sites in three countries, including Barrow Neurological Institute in the US, Toronto Western Hospital in Canada and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.[9]

    Enrollment grew quickly. Neuralink said it went from three participants in 2024 to multiple per month in 2025, and reported 21 participants worldwide on January 28, 2026.[10][2]

    In October 2025 it began VOICE, an early feasibility study of the N1 for people with severe speech impairment, with about six participants planned. The company says it aims for conversational speeds of 140 words per minute.[4] Neuralink says FDA has given Breakthrough Device Designation to its vision and speech programs.[11]

    Reported results

    All the figures below come from the company and have not been reported in a peer-reviewed journal.

    • Typing up to 40 words per minute using a decoder mapped to attempted finger movements.[12]
    • Cursor control measured in bits per second; Neuralink says able-bodied people average 8 to 10 on its task.[13] In October 2026 it reported an 11.32 bits-per-second record using decoders pretrained on 50,000 hours of unlabelled brain data, which it said worked for weeks without recalibration.[14]
    • Higher signal quality in 18 of the 20 participants after the first, following surgical changes.[15]
    • Everyday use: the company says one participant who had been unable to move his limbs for four years used the implant to control a robotic arm for tasks such as feeding himself, and that another uses Telepathy for up to 17 hours a day.[16]

    For comparison, peer-reviewed academic systems have reached 90 characters per minute by decoding attempted handwriting, and 97.5 percent speech-decoding accuracy sustained over 8.4 months.[17][18] Neuralink’s own decoding work draws on academic research: speech-decoding intellectual property from Stanford University has been licensed to the company, according to a 2025 paper’s disclosures.[19]

    Safety and setbacks

    In May 2024 Neuralink disclosed that in its first participant some threads retracted from the brain within weeks, reducing the number of effective electrodes and performance until the software was adjusted.[7] As of January 2026 the company said it had zero serious device-related adverse events.[3] That record comes from the company and covers a small number of people over a few years.[2]

    Funding and context

    Neuralink closed a $650 million Series E in June 2025.[9] It competes with Synchron, Paradromics and Precision Neuroscience, each with a different way into the brain.[20][21][22] As of December 2024, FDA had not granted marketing authorization to any implantable BCI.[23]

    Questions readers ask

    How many people have a Neuralink implant?

    Neuralink said in January 2026 that 21 participants were enrolled in its trials worldwide.[2]

    Is the Neuralink implant FDA approved?

    No. It is being tested in early feasibility studies such as PRIME and VOICE. Neuralink says it has FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its vision and speech programs, a status that is not a marketing authorization.[8][4][11][23]

    Have there been problems with the implant?

    In its first participant, some electrode threads retracted from the brain within weeks, reducing the number of effective electrodes. Neuralink says it has had no serious device-related adverse events.[7][3]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [17]

      In a 2021 Stanford study, a participant whose hand was paralysed by spinal cord injury used an intracortical BCI that decoded attempted handwriting to type 90 characters per minute with 94.1% raw accuracy, close to typical smartphone typing speeds for his age group (115 characters per minute). confirmedas of 2021-05-12

    2. [18]

      The UC Davis neuroprosthesis reached 99.6 percent accuracy on a 50-word vocabulary on its first day of use and sustained 97.5 percent accuracy over 8.4 months, with the participant conversing at about 32 words per minute for more than 248 hours. confirmedas of 2024-08-15

    3. [19]

      According to the competing-interest disclosures of a 2025 Nature paper, Stanford University speech-decoding intellectual property has been licensed to Blackrock Neurotech and Neuralink, and University of California speech-BCI intellectual property has been licensed to Paradromics. confirmedas of 2025-06-12

    4. [20]

      As of November 2025 Synchron's Stentrode had been implanted in 10 patients with paralysis across trials in the US and Australia. confirmedas of 2025-11-06

    5. [21]

      In November 2025 FDA granted Paradromics an Investigational Device Exemption for the Connect-One early feasibility study of its Connexus BCI to restore speech and computer control, initially enrolling two participants. confirmedas of 2025-11-20

    6. [22]

      In April 2025 Precision Neuroscience received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Layer 7 Cortical Interface, authorizing commercial use with implantation of up to 30 days. confirmedas of 2025-04-17

    7. [23]

      As of December 2024, FDA had not granted marketing authorization for any implantable device for BCI use. confirmedas of 2024-12-17

    Revision history (2)
    1. Page created.
    2. Refresh: added how Telepathy works, company-reported everyday use, a comparison with peer-reviewed academic results and the Stanford licence.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 10, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "Neuralink." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/neuralink

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

    Keep exploring

    Connections
    Synchron Competes withParadromics Competes withPrecision Neuroscie… Competes withSpeech neuroprosthe… Works on
    ☰ Contents