Neuralink reports 21 people implanted across its trials
The company's participant count has nearly doubled since September 2025, with studies spanning cursor control, robotic arms, speech and vision.
Neuralink says 21 participants have now received its N1 implant worldwide, up from 12 in September 2025. The first participant was implanted in January 2024.
Most participants are in motor-control studies, where people with quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs) from spinal cord injury or ALS move a computer cursor by thought. The company has also announced:
- CONVOY: controlling an assistive robotic arm with the implant
- Speech restoration studies for people who have lost the ability to speak
- Blindsight: a visual-cortex stimulator aimed at restoring limited vision. The FDA gave it Breakthrough Device designation; human trials are still being prepared.
Why it matters
Twenty-one implants is still a small number in medical-device terms. But it is one of the largest groups of people living with a high-channel-count wireless brain implant, and every participant adds safety and long-term data. That evidence will decide whether these devices win FDA approval.
What to watch
How well the implants hold up over years, how much participants use them in daily life, and how soon a pivotal (approval) trial starts.
Learn more: Clinical trial phases for BCIs · Neuralink in the Directory