Elon Musk’s Neuralink Brain Chip Is Now Being Tested on Paralysis Patients in the UK

While it might seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, Neuralink’s new brain chip is real… and it’s currently being tested in the UK on people with quadriplegia.

“It is a massive change in your life where you can suddenly no longer move any of your limbs,” said Sebastian Gomez-Pena, one of the patients who are currently testing out the new chip. “This kind of technology kind of gives you a new piece of hope.”

Patients participating in the current Neuralink trial aren’t the first to receive the chip. A volunteer from the US was the first patient to receive the chip in early 2024, and 21 people now have the device implanted in their brains. This includes patients from the US, the UK, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.

Installing the hardware

The Neuralink chip, officially known as the N1 Implant, is linked to 1,024 electrodes distributed across 64 threads within the patient’s brain. The initial installation is a five-hour process, and while a team of surgeons and engineers is on hand during the operation, the procedure itself is completed by Neuralink’s own R1 Robot.

During the operation, the 1,024 electrodes are installed at a depth of approximately 4mm into the surface of the patient’s brain. Nerve signals are then sent from the brain — via the 64 threads — directly to the chip itself, which rests in a circular hole within the patient’s skull.

While the N1 Implant represents the hardware portion of the brain-computer interface (BCI), it still requires sophisticated AI software to capture and interpret signals from the brain to the N1 chip.

Using the software

The N1 User App takes over once the operation is complete. Data is sent from the N1 Implant to the app, which translates it into complex computer commands that enable typing, controlling a mouse cursor, playing video games, and more. Thanks to the chip, a patient only needs to think about the actions they want to perform, and they are carried out in real time.

For those who are wondering, none of this hardware or software is available for purchase. The N1 Implant, the N1 User App, and the R1 Robot are currently available only through the Neuralink trial.

N1 implant still in trial phase

According to Neuralink, its ultimate goal is to “restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs and unlock new dimensions of human potential.” While the team is well on its way to achieving that, it’s important to note that the N1 Implant is still in its trial phase. 

There will undoubtedly be some bugs to work out, both with the chip and the software, before it becomes available to more paralysis patients around the world.

Also read: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is backing mind-reading tech that aims to connect brains to computers without surgery.