On Monday, X user Bradford G Smith shared a video detailing his experience as the third person in the world to receive the Neuralink BCI, and as the first non-verbal patient and the first with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) to receive the implant. In the video, Smith details how the BCI works, how it’s less limiting than his previous eye tracker technology, and how it has literally helped him regain his voice through AI.

“I am typing this with my brain,” Smith wrote. “It is my primary communication.”

The video, which he says is the first edited directly with a BCI, is narrated by an AI-generated version of his old voice. Prior to the BCI, he was also unable to leave the house using his eye tracker, as it made it difficult to communicate unless he was in dark or low-light settings.

The video also shows how he’s able to connect with external devices using the BCI, with a live shots of him controlling his computer using a cursor.

You can see the full update below, which runs a little under 10 minutes.

READ MORE ON NEURALINK: Elon Musk: over 1,000 humans with Neuralink implants in 2026 is feasible

The news follows Neuralink’s initial update with Brad and other initial BCI patients, as was shared in a post on the company’s website in February. In it, Brad also explained how groundbreaking it was to be able to communicate outside and see his son win a robotics award, along with being able to consider leaving the city area for the first time in half a decade:

The most significant thing that happened this week will sound strange to you: I got to use the computer on the porch, and it worked!!

I went to [my child’s] soccer game, and the referee thought I was sleeping. I was actually able to talk outside. I [am] actually thinking about traveling outside the [city] metro [for] the first time in 5 years.

Both of Neuralink’s studies focus on restoring autonomy to people who are paraplegic through the use of external devices. The company gained initial approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to install the first BCI in a human patient in May 2023, with Noland Arbaugh being the first, a patient named Alex being the second, and Brad being the third.

Neuralink opened its Patient Registry worldwide earlier this month, allowing participants to submit to take part in the company’s initial PRIME and CONVOY studies. The firm also announced plans to operate the PRIME study out of a second location in Miami, Florida in January, after an initial location was launched in Phoenix, Arizona.

Last week, it was reported by Bloomberg that Neuralink is currently targeting a $500 million funding round at a valuation of $8.5 billion. Meanwhile, Neuralink has also been constructing office buildings near Austin, Texas, which initially aimed to be completed in May 2025.

Neuralink human trial patient shares his progress

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The news was initially reported by Bloomberg, which cited sources reportedly familiar with the matter.

The Alleged Funding Round 

Preliminary discussions with investors, which could value Neuralink at $9 billion post-money, have reportedly started. Terms for the funding round remain fluid, however, as per one of the publication’s sources. Neuralink, for its part, has not issued a comment about its alleged funding round.

That being said, Neuralink is one of Elon Musk’s smaller ventures, with PitchBook valuing the brain-computer interface startup at $3.5 billion in November 2023.  

Neuralink’s Ambitious Vision

Neuralink aims to create devices that enable users to interact with tech devices using only their brain. Neuralink is currently focusing on paralyzed individuals and neurodegenerative disease patients, though Musk has also hinted at Neuralink’s technology being used to address vision problems and other health issues. 

Neuralink has made a lot of headway in its goals, with the startup recently announcing that it has expanded its human trial to three patients. All three are participants in the company’s ongoing primary and convoy study.

Musk’s Soaring Valuations

Neuralink’s potential capital raise aligns with skyrocketing valuations for Elon Musk’s other firms. While Tesla’s valuation remains volatile due to its publicly traded nature, his private space company, SpaceX, hit an impressive $350 billion valuation in December. His artificial intelligence startup, xAI, reached an $80 billion valuation following its merger with social media platform X. 

Musk’s holdings in his companies have allowed him to top the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $310 billion as of writing.

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Neuralink opened its patient registry to people globally, broadening access to its brain-computer interface trials.

“The Neuralink Patient Registry is now open globally! If you have quadriplegia and are interested in exploring groundbreaking ways to control a computer using your thoughts, you can now sign up from anywhere in the world,” the company announced in a recent X post.

Interested individuals can join by submitting their email through Neuralink’s patient portal.

The tech firm currently runs two feasibility trials: the PRIME Study and the CONVOY Study. While Neuralink didn’t clarify which study the registry targets, accepted patients are likely to participate in the PRIME Study, which is focused on its Link brain-computer interface (BCI). The CONVOY Study explores brain-controlled assistive robotic devices.

In February, Neuralink shared details on PRIME Study participants—Conrad, Alex, and Brad—who showcased transformative experiences with Link. Alex, a PRIME participant, also enrolled as the inaugural participant in the CONVOY Study. Unlike PRIME’s broad testing of Link, CONVOY zeroes in on controlling devices like an assistive robotic arm (ARA).

“ARA control expands autonomy beyond smart devices and could allow people with paralysis to perform tasks in daily life such as feeding themselves and handling physical objects,” Neuralink explained.

The global registry rollout marks a milestone for Neuralink, amplifying its reach to those with quadriplegia. With PRIME and CONVOY advancing, the company edges closer to merging human cognition with technology, potentially reshaping assistive solutions.

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The tech company recently provided an update on all three of the participants in its PRIMARY Study: Conrad, Alex, and Brad. All three participants shared their life-changing experiences using Neuralink’s brain-computer interface (BCI), called Link.

One participant, Alex, has also signed up to be the first participant in Neuralink’s CONVOY (Control of Assistive Devices via BCI Technology) Study. While the PRIMARY study tests Link’s general capabilities, the CONVOY study tests Link’s capability to control assistive devices, like an assistive robotic arm (ARA).

“ARA control expands autonomy beyond smart devices and could allow people with paralysis to perform tasks in daily life such as feeding themselves and handling physical objects,” noted Neauralink.

Elon Musk has discussed combining Neuralink’s Link with Tesla’s work on the humanoid bot Optimus. In the recent TSLA earnings call, Musk once again mentioned the attention Tesla is paying to creating Optimus hands that have human precision and can either play the piano or thread a needle.

About Neuralink’s first CONVOY study participant

Alex became paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident. He lost the ability to create designs after the accident. Neuralink’s Link BCI enabled Alex to tap back into his creative side. Link allowed Alex to use a computer telepathically, allowing him to design 3D objects through CAD software and graphics on Adobe Illustrator.

Alex can also meaningfully contribute to his family’s business and learn new skills with Link. Through CONVOY, Alex can take his progress with Link one step further.

“It’s such an amazing feeling being able to go from a concept to an actual working piece of equipment that does exactly what I want. I want everyone [disabled and non-disabled] to have the desire to create something new. Hopefully, I can inspire somebody to make a positive change in someone’s life,” said Alex.

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On Monday, Neuralink announced that it has selected the University of Miami Health System’s Miami Project to Cure Paralysis as the second U.S. site for its PRIME Study, evaluating its brain-computer interface (BCI) that was first implanted into two clinical trial patients in 2024. The company’s patient registry for the study is currently open for patients with quadriplegia due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), allowing the device to interpret a person’s brain activity.

The implant effectively enables paraplegic individuals to control a phone, tablet or other external device only using their thoughts, and the PRIME study aims to evaluate the BCI’s safety, effectiveness and overall functionality of the equipment.

READ MORE ON NEURALINK: Neuralink human trial patient shares his progress

The study first launched in the U.S. at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, while the Canadian CAN-PRIME study was debuted at the Toronto Western Hospital at the University Health Network (UHN).

The so-called PRIME study, abbreviated from “Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface,” is the company’s first program and foray into BCI technology, and Elon Musk said in July that the hardware could be implanted into as many as 1,000 humans by next year. The company has also begun work on its next device, dubbed “Blindsight,” which is expected to help restore vision to those who can’t see out of one or both eyes, or who have damage to their optic nerve.

Neuralink initially gained approval from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to begin implanting the hardware in September 2023, before installing its first BCI into a human last January. The company was later approved for a second patient in May, who officially received the implant in August.

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Neuralink boosts hiring for manufacturing roles

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“Got a new hand for Black Friday,” joked a new post from Tesla Optimus. 

Tesla Optimus’ latest X post shows off some nifty hand work—literally. Tesla’s humanoid robot is shown catching a tennis ball with its new hand. In May 2024, Elon Musk commented that Tesla was upgrading Optimus’ hands to have 22 degrees of freedom (DoF). For comparison, human hands have 27 DoF. 

The debut of Optimus’ new hands comes right after Neuralink announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new feasibility trial called the CONVOY study. The new trial allows Neuralink to test its Brain-to-Computer-interface (BCI) N1 Implant with assistive robotic arms. 

Got a new hand for Black Friday pic.twitter.com/x3gQrsbYAQ

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) November 28, 2024

During a Neuralink update in July, Musk mentioned that Optimus limbs could theoretically be used in tandem with Neuralink’s N1 implant. Neuralink mentioned that it will enable cross-enrollment of participants between the CONVOY and PRIME studies. Through the PRIME Study, Neuralink has successfully implanted N1 Implants in two patients, enabling them to control electronic devices with their minds.

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“This is an important first step towards restoring not only digital freedom, but also physical freedom. More info to come, but the CONVOY Study will enable cross-enrolling participants from the ongoing PRIME Study,” noted the company in its announcement. 

The approval for the Neuralink’s CONVOY Study could connect Tesla Optimus and the N1 implant. In July 2024, Elon Musk talked about patients with robotic arms or legs controlling their limbs through their minds with Neurlaink’s N1 implant. 

We’re excited to announce the approval and launch of a new feasibility trial to extend BCI control using the N1 Implant to an investigational assistive robotic arm.

This is an important first step towards restoring not only digital freedom, but also physical freedom. More info…

— Neuralink (@neuralink) November 25, 2024

“Let’s say somebody has lost their arms or legs. We could actually attach an Optimus arm or Optimus legs to a Neuralink implant so that the motor commands from your brain that would go to our biological arms now go to your robot arms or legs and you’d basically have cybernetic superpowers,” Musk said. 

Tesla has been making significant progress with Optimus and is currently focused on finalizing the humanoid robot’s design. The tech company has carefully paid attention to the Optimus’ limbs, including the movement of its fingers, hips, and legs. The people behind Tesla Optimus studied human anatomy to ensure that the humanoid robot moves naturally. 

In May 2024, Musk commented on Optimus’ hands, sharing that the humanoid robot’s hands will be upgraded to have 22 degrees of freedom (DoF). For comparison, human hands have 27 degrees of freedom. 

“Optimus hands are among the best 5-finger, dexterous robot hands in the world. It’s got tactile sensing, 11 degrees of freedom compared to many competitors with only 6-7 DoF, and robustness to withstand lots of object interactions without constant maintenance,” commented Jim Fan, a Sr. Research Manage & Lead of Embodied AI (GEAR Lab) at NVIDIA. 

Watch Neuralink’s Update from July 2024 below!

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As noted in an Insider report, Neuralink posted several manufacturing-related job openings this week. The company also held several hiring events in California and Texas this month. As per a job listing for Manufacturing Technicians, Neuralink is looking for people who can help assemble its brain implants in Austin, Texas.

“You will be instrumental in ramping production to accelerate progress towards our goal of restoring autonomy to those with unmet medical needs… We are creating the future of brain-computer interfaces—building devices that have the potential to help people with paralysis regain mobility and independence,” the job listing read.

Neuralink’s Manufacturing Technicians will be paid $22 per hour, and receive medical, dental, and vision insurance. They will also receive paid time off, meals, equity, and more. Expected work hours for Neuralink’s Manufacturing Technicians in Texas as per the job listing is more than 50 hours per week.

Neuralink has also posted a job listing for a Microfabrication Technician, which would be based in Fremont, California. The company is also looking to hire a Manufacturing Technician who will be part of the BCI company’s Robot Electrical Engineering Team. The person who will be selected for the job will help with the production of the company’s R1 Surgical Robot, which is used to support the implantation of the N1 brain implant. 

Tinglong Dai, a professor of operations management and business analytics at John Hopkins University, noted in a comment to Insider that the manufacturing-related job postings suggest that Neuralink may be looking to start volume production. Dai stated that such strategies are a bit unusual for a company that currently only has two human patients, but it may be unsurprising considering that Neuralink is an Elon Musk-led company. 

“That’s wild for a company that’s only implanted two devices in their trial. But in some sense, this isn’t really odd if you consider who is running this business,” Dai noted.

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After opening human trials for the first time last September, Neuralink is preparing to take its business outside the U.S. by entering the Canadian market.

The company plans to assess the safety and initial functionality of its brain implant, which aims to fix anything from paralysis to eventually things like mental health disorders.

Canadian Health University Health Network said that its Toronto Western Hospital would be the first site not in the U.S. to test the device for its effectiveness in resolving these disorders.

UHN Chief Executive Kevin Smith said (via Financial Post):

“We are incredibly proud to be at the forefront of this research advancement in neurosurgery.”

Smith also said UHN would be the first and exclusive site for the trial in Canada, but the date on which testing would begin was not yet released.

Neuralink said it was looking for its first patients in Canada and hopes to work with those who have quadriplegia due to ALS or SCI.

?? We’re happy to announce that Health Canada has approved the launch of our first clinical trial in Canada! Recruitment is now open.

If you have quadriplegia due to ALS or SCI, you may qualify. Visit our Patient Registry to learn more and apply.https://t.co/5BySJABkkO

— Neuralink (@neuralink) November 20, 2024

ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and impacts the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Neuralink implanted its first patient, Noland Arbaugh, earlier this year, and in August, it announced that its second patient, known as “Alex,” had also successfully undergone a procedure to have a device implanted.

Alex learned to play computer games and design 3D objects using CAD software within the first weeks.

Neuralink shares their second patient’s progress

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The CNS Annual Meeting is one of the largest meetings in the field of neurosurgery. As noted by the organization on its official website, this year’s event would “reflect on the historical journey and current state of neurosurgery, using a fresh lens to synthesize insights and chart a course for an enlightened future.” 

Musk’s participation at the 2024 CNS Annual Meeting is quite unsurprising. His work with Neuralink, after all, effectively puts him at the forefront of the brain-computer interface (BCI) industry. The CNS noted that Musk would be attending the event virtually, and he would be discussing a variety of topics with CNS President Dr. Alexander Khalessi.

Breaking news! @elonmusk, Founder and CEO of @neuralink will be the 2024 CNS Michael L.J. Apuzzo Lecturer on Creativity and Innovation. Don’t miss this blended interactive virtual session. Have a question you’d like to ask Mr. Musk? Not too late to register for the CNS meeting! pic.twitter.com/oRiI93YnEB

— CNS (@CNS_Update) September 23, 2024

“The session will focus on the challenges of building and scaling brain-computer interfaces (BCI), Neuralink’s innovative approaches to addressing these challenges for patients in need, and the future direction of this emerging field,” the CNS wrote. 

Neuralink only has a couple of human patients today, but the potential of the company’s devices has become notable. The company currently offers one product, Telepathy, which enables people with paralysis to control tech devices such as computers or smartphones with their mind. Neuralink has two patients so far, both of whom seem to be adjusting very well to the capabilities of their brain implants. 

Neuralink’s later products are just as, if not more ambitious than Telepathy. As noted by Elon Musk, Neuralink’s next product would be called “Blindsight,” which would be aimed at restoring vision in patients who have lost sight. Reports have indicated that Blindsight has received a “breakthrough device” designation from the FDA. 

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