Paralyzed Woman Stuns the World Using Elon Musk’s Neuralink Chip

 

Paralyzed Woman Stuns the World Using Elon Musk’s Neuralink Chip

In an awe-inspiring moment that blends science fiction with real-life innovation, Audrey Crews, a woman paralyzed from the neck down for over 20 years, has stunned the world by writing her name — not with her hands, but with her thoughts.

Thanks to a revolutionary brain chip developed by Elon Musk’s Neuralink, Crews has become the first woman in the world to control a computer using only her mind. “I tried writing my name for the first time in 20 years. I’m working on it. Lol,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter), alongside an image of her name, “Audrey,” written in purple cursive — all created using a computer cursor she directed with her thoughts.

Working on my accuracy and speed. #Neuralink pic.twitter.com/LHEILHydIE

— Audrey Crews (@NeuraNova9) July 26, 2025

Crews, who lives in Louisiana, was just 16 when a car accident damaged her spinal cord at the C4 and C5 vertebrae, leaving her a quadriplegic with no movement in her limbs. For years, technology couldn’t offer much hope. That changed with Neuralink.

In a recent procedure at the University of Miami Health Center, surgeons implanted Neuralink’s “N1” device — a coin-sized chip — into her motor cortex, the brain area responsible for movement. The chip uses 128 ultra-thin threads carrying more than 1,000 electrodes to detect neuron spikes — the electrical signals your brain makes when you think about moving. These signals are then sent wirelessly to a computer via Bluetooth, allowing Audrey to interact with digital devices just by thinking.

Since the procedure, she’s been drawing hearts, flowers, rainbows, and even smiley faces, all by guiding the computer cursor with her mind. She’s also been typing, scrolling, and taking drawing requests from her growing audience online. “Imagine your pointer finger is left click and the cursor [movement] is with your wrist, without physically doing it,” she explained.

Although the chip doesn’t restore her ability to walk or move her limbs, it’s given her something equally powerful: freedom. “Not in all my wildest dreams, but the future is here,” she wrote when asked if she ever imagined this kind of technology would be possible.

Audrey is the ninth person to receive the Neuralink implant. Earlier patients have shown promising results as well, though challenges remain. The first recipient experienced a retraction of some implant threads, requiring technical adjustments. Neuralink is still in its early trial phase, but its potential is massive.

While Elon Musk envisions a future where Neuralink may enhance human capabilities or treat brain disorders, for Audrey Crews, the present is already life-changing. She’s planning to write a book about her journey — using her thoughts to type, of course.

“I’ve been a quadriplegic since the age of 16,” she said. “So I have lots to tell.” And now, she finally can.