Neuralink’s first human implant

In January 2024, after FDA approval, surgeons implanted Neuralink's N1 device in its first human participant — Noland Arbaugh, left quadriplegic by a 2016 diving accident. Within weeks, Neuralink livestreamed Arbaugh moving a computer cursor and playing online chess using only his thoughts. He later reported controlling the cursor faster than many able-bodied people can with a mouse.

It was a genuine milestone in restoring autonomy to people with paralysis: the ability to browse, communicate and play games independently, simply by intending to. When some implant threads retracted early on, Neuralink recovered most of the performance through software — itself a demonstration of the device's adaptability.

Arbaugh has continued using the device daily for years and has spoken publicly about how it changed his life. From founding to a working human implant in eight years, against a backdrop of deep skepticism, is a remarkable pace for something this hard.