NEURALINK PLANTS BRAIN INTERFACE IN THIRD PATIENT TO RESTORE SPEECH

Neuralink has equipped a third human patient with its brain-computer interface, enabling a stroke survivor to speak again by translating neural signals into audible words, a breakthrough showcased at a Las Vegas technology summit.

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The Elon Musk-founded outfit, known for pushing the boundaries of human-tech integration, completed the procedure on a 64-year-old woman who lost her voice after a brainstem stroke five years ago.

For medical researchers, technology developers, and industry observers, this advance underscores Neuralink’s bid to mend neurological damage while eyeing broader applications in artificial intelligence.

This operation marks a milestone in Neuralink’s human trials, launched after securing U.S. regulatory approval in 2023 to test its neural technology. The patient, identified as Casey H., suffered a 2020 stroke that severed the brain’s pathways to her vocal muscles, silencing her speech.

Neuralink’s device, a network of 1,024 electrodes woven into her brain’s speech and movement zones, captures her intended words and relays them to a computer for real-time translation, restoring a voice lost to injury.

Neuralink’s mission stretches beyond repair— Musk envisions a future where such interfaces amplify human cognition, aligning with his broader AI ambitions.

Casey’s success, following two prior patients who regained cursor control and typing, positions the firm as a leader in bridging brain and machine, a practical step toward both healing and enhancement.

DEVICE DECODES THOUGHT TO VOICE