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N1 implant (Telepathy)Neuralink—

Blindsight

by NeuralinkUS

ResearchStage 1 of 5

FDA Breakthrough status (Sep 2024); first human implant awaits approval.

Updated Sep 2024Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · First human implant
  1. Vision-area stimulation shown in monkeys2024Complete.
  2. FDA Breakthrough statusSep 2024Complete.
  3. First human implantNowCurrent milestone.

Most important updates

  • Sep 2024

Upcoming

  1. 2026First human Blindsight implant (next)

Current obstacles

  • Mapping the dots of lightEach stimulation point makes a dot of light whose position must be mapped for each person to build images.

Physics limits

  • Each electrode makes a dot, not a pixelA pulse makes a spot of light whose size and position vary. Hundreds of electrodes give hundreds of dots, far short of the detail needed to recognise faces, and nearby dots can merge.
  • Much of the vision map is hidden in a foldMuch of primary visual cortex lies inside a deep groove (the calcarine sulcus), out of reach of threads placed on the outer surface.
  • Stimulation is capped by safety limitsElectrodes can pass only a limited charge per pulse before damaging tissue or metal, and strong or widespread stimulation can trigger seizures.

How it works

3 parts
Neuralink's surgical robot demonstrating electrode insertion on a model head (2022); Blindsight uses the same robot and implant, placed over the vision area
Neuralink's surgical robot demonstrating electrode insertion on a model head (2022); Blindsight uses the same robot and implant, placed over the vision areaPhoto: Steve Jurvetson · CC BY 2.0 (opens flickr.com)
See

A camera replaces the eyes

Glasses with a camera capture the scene and a small computer turns it into a stimulation pattern.

Stimulate

Pulses to the vision area

The implant's electrodes, placed in the visual cortex at the back of the brain, send tiny pulses; each can make a dot of light appear.

Perceive

Dots add up to a rough image

Patterns of dots sketch shapes and edges, bypassing damaged eyes and optic nerves entirely.

Update log

1 update

Sep 2024

  • Minor: BlogRegulatory

About Neuralink

The team behind Blindsight

Neuralink

N1 brain implant, surgical robot, Blindsight

Company co-founded by Elon Musk that builds a fully implanted, wireless brain–computer interface. A robot places 1,024 electrodes on 64 thin threads into the brain, letting paralyzed people control computers by thought. Trials run in the US, Canada, UK and UAE.

  • First human implant in Jan 2024; 21 people implanted across its trials as of Jan 2026.
  • In early 2024 threads pulled out of the first patient's brain and many channels went quiet; software fixes won back much of it.
  • Blindsight, for blindness, got FDA Breakthrough status in Sep 2024; first human implant awaits approval.

neuralink.com (opens neuralink.com)Company profile →

Founded
201610 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Private
Valuation
$9BprivateJun 2025
Raised
$930M2 rounds
Last round
Series E · $650MJun 2025
Works in
NeurotechBrain implantsRobotics
Coverage
2 programs · 15 updateslatest 28 Jan 2026checked 25 Sep
Lead investors
Founders Fund
Partners
Barrow Neurological Institute (opens barrowneuro.org)
Investors
Founders Fund (opens foundersfund.com)
People
Elon Musk (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founderDJ SeoCo-founder and President
Primer