Neuralink Patient Controls Robotic Arm With His Thoughts and Starts Eating on His Own Again
- Lidi Garcia
- Oct 15
- 3 min read
Elon Musk's company Neuralink has managed to directly connect the human brain to a machine. Nick Wray, a patient with ALS, received a brain chip that transforms his thoughts into digital commands. With it, Wray controlled a robotic arm to drink, cook, and even open the refrigerator by himself. The chip detects electrical signals from neurons and sends them via Bluetooth to the robot, which performs the desired movements. This innovation promises to revolutionize the treatment of people with paralysis, allowing them to regain autonomy and quality of life.
A new advancement by Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, is transforming the way the human brain can connect with technology. Nick Wray, a patient diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease that progressively paralyzes muscles, was able to control a robotic arm with just his thoughts.
This feat, which seems straight out of science fiction, represents an impressive step in restoring autonomy for people with severe motor limitations.
During the experiment, Wray used an implanted brain chip to send signals directly from his brain to the robotic arm, without requiring any physical movement. In a recently released video, he appears to be guiding the robotic arm to pick up a cup and bring it to his mouth, allowing him to drink on his own, something ALS had prevented him from doing for years. "I'll be able to talk with my hands again," Wray said emotionally, as the robotic arm moved smoothly.
He also reported that, using the same system, he was able to put on his own hat, heat food in the microwave, open the refrigerator, and even feed himself.
The brain chip used by Neuralink, known as N1, is a small device the size of a coin. It contains 128 ultra-thin wires, each thinner than a human hair, which connect to about a thousand electrodes. These electrodes capture the electrical impulses naturally generated by neurons when we think or attempt to move a part of the body.
The chip then translates these signals into digital commands and transmits them via Bluetooth to external devices, such as a computer, a cursor, or, in this case, a robotic arm. Thus, what was once just a mental intention becomes a real physical action.
The training to achieve this result was intense. In three eight-hour sessions, Wray learned to use his mind as a biological remote control.
He needed to understand how to think in a focused and consistent manner to activate the robotic arm with precision. With each attempt, the system “learned” from Wray’s brain patterns, becoming more responsive.
The artificial intelligence that processes the chip's signals can distinguish different commands, such as the desire to move the arm to the left, hold an object, or let go, simply by the electrical activity recorded in the brain.
Beyond simple everyday tasks, Wray also broke records in clinical motor coordination tests, typically administered to patients recovering from strokes.
He managed to move 39 small cylinders on a table in five minutes and turn five dexterity pins in the same time, results considered impressive for someone with no muscle control in his arms. He joked that he even tried to "drive the wheelchair with his mind" and did very well.
The breakthrough is part of the CONVOY study, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which investigates how brain-computer interfaces can help people with paralysis regain some independence.
Neuralink had to overcome a series of technical and safety challenges before obtaining authorization to test its chips in humans. Today, eight patients with severe paralysis have already received the implant, and the company plans to expand the studies to other countries, including the United Kingdom.
Before Wray, another patient, Noland Arbaugh, had become the first human to test the chip. He demonstrated that he could control a computer cursor and even play video games with his thoughts alone. These results confirm the enormous potential of the technology not only to assist people with disabilities but also to pave the way for new forms of interaction between humans and machines.
According to Neuralink scientists, the long-term goal is to enable people with total paralysis to control robotic arms, computers, and even vehicles with their minds alone. In the future, the same technology could be applied to patients with spinal cord injuries, strokes, and neurodegenerative diseases, giving them back control over their bodies and their lives.
For now, the results with Nick Wray are a symbolic and technological milestone: for the first time, someone with ALS was able to perform household chores and feed themselves autonomously using a mind-controlled robot. The patient himself summed up the achievement simply and emotionally: "I did things on my own for the first time in years, it's liberating."
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