Neuralink has successfully completed its first human brain implant procedure in the United Kingdom, marking another major milestone for the Elon Musk–founded neurotechnology company.
In a Monday post on X, Neuralink announced that its first U.K. participant, Paul — who suffers from paralysis due to motor neuron disease — received the company’s “Telepathy” brain implant at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) earlier this month. According to the company, Paul was able to control a computer with his thoughts just hours after the surgery.
The Telepathy device allows paralyzed patients to communicate with and control computers using only their minds. The ultra-thin threads of the Neuralink implant were inserted by the company’s proprietary R1 Robot, in collaboration with UCLH neurosurgeons Harith Akram and William Muirhead.
This procedure marks Neuralink’s first human trial outside of North America, expanding beyond the U.S. and (more recently) Canada, where its first participant, Noland Arbaugh, received the same device last year.
Neuralink said Paul’s successful operation highlights the potential of its brain–computer interface (BCI) technology to restore independence and communication for people living with paralysis. “He’s now working with our engineers to explore using the implant to play his favorite video games like Dawn of War and perform other tasks that could enrich and restore autonomy in his daily life,” the company said.
Neuralink has been ramping up its medical research initiatives. The company recently revealed plans to begin human trials for another brain implant that can read speech directly from thoughts. That study was expected to begin in October, though there have been no further updates so far.
Meanwhile, Neuralink is also preparing to start testing its “Blindsight” implant, a device designed to restore vision in visually impaired people. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Blindsight “breakthrough” device status last year, expediting its path toward human trials.
Earlier this summer, Neuralink shared a progress update featuring live demonstrations of its technology, showing participants using its implants to move robotic arms, control computers, and even play video games using only their brain signals.
With its first successful U.K. implant now completed, Neuralink’s global expansion appears well underway — bringing the company closer to its long-term goal of merging human cognition with advanced AI systems.
If you’ve been following Neuralink’s developments, what do you think of the company’s latest milestone? Let us know in the comments.
