"How Do You Like My Drawing?"... The Surprising Reason Behind the Reactions to Her Social Media Post

Audrey Cruz, Paralyzed for 20 Years After a Car Accident,
Controls a Computer After Neuralink Chip Implant

An American woman who had been quadriplegic for about 20 years due to a traffic accident has gained the ability to control a computer with her thoughts after having a chip from Neuralink, the brain neuroscience startup founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, implanted in her brain.

A woman with total paralysis who had a Neuralink chip implanted showcased the names and drawings she wrote on a computer screen on her social media. X

According to reports from the Daily Mail and CNBC on July 28 (local time), Audrey Cruz, a 35-year-old woman from Louisiana who is quadriplegic, announced through her social media account X (formerly Twitter) that she is now able to write her own name on a computer screen.

She shared, "For the first time in 20 years, I wrote my name," and demonstrated her ability to use a brain-computer remote interface by showing her name written with a purple pen on a whiteboard, along with drawings of a tree, the sun, and other images.

Audrey Cruz became quadriplegic at age 16 after suffering spinal cord damage in a traffic accident. After living in a paralyzed state for 20 years, she underwent a Neuralink implant surgery last week at a hospital in Miami. She is the ninth patient to receive the Neuralink chip and the first woman to do so. She stated, "With the chip, I can control a computer with just my thoughts. In the near future, I believe I will be able to control even more electronic devices."

Regarding this, Elon Musk commented, "She is controlling the computer with her thoughts. Most people do not realize this is possible."

Since last year, Neuralink has been conducting research on implanting brain-computer interface devices in the brains of patients with limb paralysis, enabling remote connection between the human brain and computers. In a recent report presented to investors, Neuralink projected that by 2031, it would implant brain-computer interface (BCI) chips in 20,000 people annually and generate over $1 billion in annual revenue.