Neuralink and Tesla are moving closer to letting people control robots with their minds. This link between the brain and machines is picking up speed, and trials so far are giving promising results.
Twelve patients have Neuralink’s N1 brain chip as of September 2025. These patients are part of ongoing tests. These participants have collectively logged over 15,000 hours of device usage across 2,000 days and Neuralink is tracking real-life, daily use to better understand long-term effects.
Recently, a patient named Alex gained attention. He used Neuralink to control a robotic arm with his thoughts (CONVOY feasibility trial). He’s turned on lights, moved objects, and fed himself pretzels. Another participant with ALS, Nick Wray, managed to put on a hat, microwave food, and operate his wheelchair entirely through the implant. For many, this is a new level of independence.
Alex’s Story
Alex Conley becomes the first person to control a robotic arm with his thoughts using a Neuralink device
— X Freeze (@XFreeze) October 28, 2025
Alex had a spinal cord injury and was the 2nd patient to undergo neurosurgery at @BarrowNeuro to receive
Neuralink's N1 Implant as part of the PRIME Study
Now, he’s paving… pic.twitter.com/lJDP8ajYnu
The Optimus connection
Neuralink and Tesla are not stopping there. Danish Hussain, Neuralink’s head of surgery for mechanical Engineering, confirmed on social media that patients will “soon” use their brains to control Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot. This comment came in response to questions about whether Neuralink would eventually integrate with Tesla Optimus V2 or the upcoming V3 model.
Elon Musk says this path could let people who lost arms or legs use robot limbs instead. Commands from their brains would move their robot arms or legs, so someone paralyzed could once again use both hands to do daily tasks. He calls these “cybernetic superpowers”.
“Let’s say somebody has lost their arms or legs. We could actually attach an Optimus arm or Optimus legs to a Neuralink implant so that the motor commands from your brain that would go to your biological arms now go to your robot arms or legs, and you’d basically have cybernetic superpowers”.
– Elon Musk
Optimus V3
Tesla plans to launch Optimus V3 in early 2026, likely in February or March. During Tesla’s Q3 earnings call, Musk described the upcoming iteration as “sublime” and claimed it “won’t even seem like a robot” but rather “like a person in a robot suit.” The company is installing production lines now to support large-scale manufacturing and they are aiming for a million robots a year if all goes well. Tesla wants Optimus to eventually cost about $20,000 to $30,000, much less than most other humanoid robots.
The N1 implant has 1,024 electrodes on 64 thin threads. These are smaller than a human hair and go into the part of the brain that controls movement. The implant sends neural data wirelessly to connected devices using Bluetooth. It’s rechargeable from outside the body.
Neuralink is already working on upgrades. Future versions could have more than 25,000 electrodes, giving users better and finer control of robot arms or even full-body robots.
Besides moving machines, Neuralink is working on letting people type by thinking. A new trial is set to start soon, targeting people with ALS, stroke, or spine injuries who can’t speak. The goal is to turn thoughts directly into text, no physical movement required. Another new device hopes to restore vision by sending camera signals straight to the brain.
Neuralink began global trials in 2025, implanting devices in people in Canada, the UK, and the UAE. One person in London controlled a computer cursor with their mind just hours after surgery.
Interest is high. Since opening its patient registry in April, Neuralink has received over 10,000 requests to join trials. Demand keeps growing, especially among people living with paralysis.
Right now, Neuralink’s trial participants all have spinal cord injuries or ALS. Musk has said future devices might be used by healthy people.
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