What if your brain could text, tweet… or shoot a zombie? Not with your hands. Not with your voice. Just your thoughts.
This isn’t sci-fi. Elon Musk’s Neuralink has already plugged human brains into computers — and the results? Absolutely mind-blowing. Literally.
Stick around — because what you’re about to see will change how you think about thinking.
Table of Contents
🧠 The Birth of Neuralink
1. In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink with a team of seven scientists and engineers.
2. Their mission? To develop brain-computer interface (BCI) technology that directly connects the human brain to computers.
3. This involves implanting a chip into the brain—commonly referred to as a “brain implant.”
🎯 The Mission: Restoring Communication
4. The primary goal of brain implants is to help individuals who are mentally alert but physically paralyzed—due to spinal cord injuries or strokes—communicate effectively.
5. By implanting electrodes thinner than a human hair into the motor cortex, the device captures electrical signals and transmits them externally to control devices.
6. Neurons, the brain’s nerve cells, transmit data through electrical signals.
7. These signals generate waves, and by placing electrodes close enough, it’s possible to detect these brain waves.
8. Theoretically, positioning electrodes within 60 µm of neurons allows their electrical signals to be captured.
9. Given the vast number of neurons, a large number of electrodes are required.
10. Initial animal tests involved implanting 1,024 electrodes; currently, over 10,000 electrodes are used.
11. Manually implanting over 10,000 electrodes is challenging, so a specialized robot handles the task.
12. Elon Musk stated that the precision and speed required for this surgery are beyond human capabilities, hence the use of robotics.
13. He also claims that soon, these robots will surpass the best human surgeons, potentially within five years.
🤖 Robotic Precision in Human Trials
14. In human trials, the robot successfully implanted electrodes by scanning the brain with AI and avoiding blood vessels.
15. Each electrode can interface with approximately 10,000 neurons, so 10,000 electrodes can monitor signals from about 100 million neurons.
16. Neuralink asserts that this procedure is as straightforward as LASIK eye surgery and claims it has no side effects.
17. However, despite the simplicity of the implantation method, the surgery itself is complex.
18. It involves a craniotomy, where a circular portion of the skull is removed.
19. After removing a section of the skull, electrodes are implanted, and a wireless communication terminal is placed over the skull.
20. Initially, the terminal was attached behind the ear, but it’s now embedded in the skull and covered by the scalp.
21. With the terminal concealed under the scalp, it’s difficult to detect whether someone has undergone the procedure.
22. The terminal charges wirelessly, similar to how an Apple Watch does.
🧠 Introducing “Telepathy”
23. Neuralink has commercialized this product under the name “Telepathy.”
24. In May 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved clinical trials of Telepathy for individuals with paralysis.
25. Neuralink recruited participants with physical paralysis, and within eight months, the first human received a computer chip implant.
26. The procedure has advanced to the point where lasers create tiny holes for implantation, eliminating the need to open the skull.
27. Post-surgery, Telepathy functioned correctly, transmitting neural signals to the Neuralink app, which began decoding them.
28. If brain electrical signals can be received and interpreted, it’s possible to operate electronic devices.
🌟 Real-Life Impact
29. Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking lived with ALS from age 21, spending his life in a wheelchair.
30. Implanting computer chips into the brains of individuals who have lost vision or muscle control enables them to operate computers using their minds.
31. Elon Musk tweeted that the first patient received a brain chip implant and is recovering well.
32. The second patient to receive a Neuralink implant showed even more promising results.
33. Alex, a patient with complete paralysis, was shown playing “Counter-Strike 2” using only his thoughts.
34. He wasn’t just observing the game; he moved, aimed, and shot targets like any other gamer.
35. Alex was discharged a day after receiving the implant and began controlling a computer cursor within five minutes of connecting the chip.
36. On August 22, 2024, Musk expressed hope that within ten years, millions of people will have Neuralink chips implanted.
📈 Progress and Future Plans
37. In 2025, another individual received the Telepathy implant, becoming the third person with a brain chip.
38. Elon Musk announced plans to conduct approximately 30 additional implants by the end of 2025.
39. Neuralink is in the process of raising $500 million in funding, with Bloomberg estimating the company’s valuation at $8.5 billion.
40. At the end of 2023, Neuralink was valued at $3.5 billion, so this represents a significant increase in just 18 months.
41. The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, has been enjoying various games using only his thoughts for over a year.
42. In an interview, he mentioned that about a year after surgery, his control improved, making Telepathy easier to use.
43. Bradford Smith, the third recipient who had lost both motor and speech abilities due to ALS, regained the ability to speak.
44. Using AI trained on his previous voice recordings, he can now communicate in his own voice.
45. This technology has broad applications for individuals with severe speech impairments.
46. It serves as a tool to help patients with conditions like ALS, stroke, spinal cord injuries, and cerebral palsy communicate.
47. The speech restoration device has received the FDA’s “Breakthrough Device” designation.
48. The FDA’s Breakthrough Devices Program accelerates the development and review of medical devices that offer significant advantages over existing options.
🌏 Global Developments
49. China is rapidly advancing in brain implant technology, closely trailing the U.S.
50. On March 25, 2025, the Chinese Institute for Brain Research and state-owned NeuCyber NeuroTech completed their third human implantation of the Beinao No.1 chip.
51. They are also working on enabling healthy individuals to control robots or drones using only their thoughts.
52. This technology has potential applications in both industrial and military fields.
53. A joint research team from Tsinghua and Tianjin Universities developed a brain implant device worn like headphones and tested it on ten individuals.
54. These participants successfully directed drones to specific locations using only their thoughts.
55. Elon Musk has expressed intentions to integrate Neuralink’s technology with Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus.
56. The race between the U.S. and China for dominance in brain implant technology is intensifying.
When Elon Sticks to the Script, History Gets Rewritten
If Elon Musk’s timeline holds — with 30 more brain implants set for this year and no major side effects — we might be looking at full-blown commercialization within 2 to 3 years. And if his robotic surgery squad really does out-snip the best human surgeons? That’s not just sci-fi — that’s a surgical mic drop.
Let’s be real: when he isn’t busy with side quests like internet fights, government drama, or naming kids like cryptic code — and actually locks in?
He builds the future like it’s a side hustle.
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