Neuralink N1 lets Noland Arbaugh control a cursor by thought

AI system

System: Neuralink N1 implant with cursor-decoding software (PRIME study; CONVOY study for the robotic arm)
Model: Not assessed
Release: Exact release not established.
Application developer: Neuralink
Role: The decoder translated neural signals into cursor and robotic-arm movements.
Configuration: The deployment used the N1 implant.
Inputs and outputs: Not assessed
Autonomy: Not assessed
Workflow: Implanted electrode threads in motor cortex. Company decoding software translating neural signals into cursor or robotic-arm commands. Software recalibration after thread retraction.
Human oversight: Not assessed
Relation to AI: The decoding software that maps neural signals to cursor and arm movement is Neuralink's. Its role is described only in company statements quoted by news outlets (recording algorithm modified, signal-to-cursor translation improved). Outcomes rest on the participant's own account, Barrow's patient story and press reports, not on a peer-reviewed report.
AI contribution: The decoding software that maps neural signals to cursor and arm movement is Neuralink's. Its role is described only in company statements quoted by news outlets (recording algorithm modified, signal-to-cursor translation improved). Outcomes rest on the participant's own account, Barrow's patient story and press reports, not on a peer-reviewed report.

Outcome identifiers: Not assessed
Benefit: 10 hours of daily use for chess, coursework, scheduling and communication at 28 months
Category: Improved Accessibility
Status: Not assessed
Beneficiary groups: People. Organizations. Society.
Beneficiaries: Not assessed
Reach: Not assessed
Distribution and access: Not assessed
Duration: Not assessed
Expected?: Yes
Costs and harms: Not assessed

Studies: Not assessed
Study design: Not assessed
Measurement: Not assessed
Setting and sample: Not assessed
Measures: 10 hours of daily use for chess, coursework, scheduling and communication at 28 months
Comparison: Assumed alternative: Arbaugh's own ability to use a computer before the implant (self-report)
Results: Assumed comparison. Reference: not something I was able to do beforehand. Result: I can control a computer just like anyone else can.
Additional value from AI: Not assessed
Limitations: Not assessed
Denominators: Not assessed
Materials for replication: Not assessed

Participants: Developer: Neuralink. Operator: Barrow Neurological Institute (surgical site) with Neuralink.
Jurisdictions: Benefit: Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Developer: United States. Operator: United States.
Ownership and control: Not assessed
Dependencies: Not assessed
Cross-border connections: Not assessed
Geopolitical implications: Not assessed

Conditions for replication: Electrode threads remain sufficiently in place or software compensates. Daily use continues to be reported by the user. Peer-reviewed outcome reporting (absent so far).
Replication attempts: 2 follow-up entries. Benefit recurred: 1. Outcome unresolved: 1.
Later findings: 28 May 2026. By May 2026 Arbaugh had used the implant for 28 months, about 10 hours a day after software changes compensated for an early 85% thread retraction, and the PRIME trial had enrolled more than 20 participants across four countries.
Availability: Not assessed
Institutional decision: Not assessed
Grounds: Not assessed
Action and result: Not assessed
Success criterion: Not assessed

Assessed benefits: People. Organizations. Society.
Depth: People: 3. Organizations: Not assessed. Society: Not assessed.
Reasons: People: Arbaugh reports computer control “just like anyone else can” and about 10 hours of daily use at 28 months. Conley operates a robotic arm for light switches and doors. Organizations: No organizational outcome reported. Society: Seven users as of July 2025; no population-level effect.
Observed or intended: Not assessed
Rubric: Not assessed
Assessor and date: Not assessed
Alternative assessments: Not assessed
Fill: Independently reported

Kind: Not assessed
Related entries: Not assessed
Field: Health; assistive technology. People with quadriplegia (spinal cord injury, ALS).
Purpose: Restore digital autonomy (cursor control, later robotic-arm control) to people with quadriplegia through an implanted brain-computer interface
Dates: Date basis unassessed: 2024 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
Stage: Not assessed
Version: SHA-256: d701b505fcf2…