Woman reveals how Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip has changed her life

A woman who has been fully paralysed for 20 years can now use a computer thanks to Elon Musk's company Neuralink. Neuralink's revolutionary implant has allowed the woman to write her name on the computer screen in a move that marks a world first for the firm (Picture: @NeuraNova9)

What happened?

At the age of 16, Audrey Crews was severely injured in a car accident, where she damaged the C4 and C5 vertebrae in her neck. This left her a quadriplegic with no feeling in her arms and legs. However, after becoming the ninth person to undergo the groundbreaking procedure, she has managed something remarkable (Picture: @NeuraNova9)

What is the implant?

On X, she posted: ‘I tried writing my name for the first time in 20 years. I'm working on it. Lol’ as she showed the world her first attempt at a signature since 2005. She added: ‘I am the first women in the world to do this’. Later, she explained: ‘Imagine your pointer finger is left click and the cursor [movement] is with your wrist, without physically doing it. Just a normal day using telepathy.’ She has also managed to draw hearts, flowers, rainbows, and even some faces while pushing the on-screen cursor with thoughts sent to the N1 implant (Picture: @NeuraNova9)

What is Neuralink?

Neuralink was founded in 2016 by a group of experts in the fields of neuroscience, engineering, and robotics, and of course, with its co-founder Elon Musk. The N1 implant was revealed in 2019, and is a small device placed on the brain to read and translate electrical signals into actions, like moving a cursor on a computer screen. So, through a brain-computer interface (BCI) Audrey chose a purple-coloured cursor pen to write the name 'Audrey' on the screen in cursive script (Picture: Getty)

The implant has allowed patients with severe paralysis or neurological conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to control electronic devices through telepathy. Neuralink’s goal was to merge human intelligence with AI, treat brain disorders, and potentially enhance human ability in the future (Picture: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

The surgery at University of Miami Health Center saw surgeons drilling a hole into Ms Crews’ skull so they could place 128 threads smaller than a human hair into her motor cortex. These threads have over 1,000 electrodes which detect electrical signals, or neuron spikes, which are produced by brain cells when a person thinks about moving. Every thought creates a unique pattern of brain activity. The implant is powered by a small battery which charges wirelessly. It sends the neuron spikes to a computer or smartphone running Neuralink's software via Bluetooth, which is then translated into commands on the computer (Picture: @NeuraNova9)

Now, although Audrey noted that the BCI won't give her the ability to walk again or regain any movement in her limbs, she is hoping to write a book. The first person to use the N1 implant, Noland Arbaugh, had the threads to his motor cortex retract, so Neuralink had to adjust the device in order for it to maintain connection with the quadriplegic patient's brain (Picture: @NeuraNova9)