A woman paralysed since 2005 has written her name again for the first time in two decades, using nothing but her thoughts.
Audrey Crews, who became a quadriplegic at age 16 following a devastating car crash, has become the first woman in the world to receive Elon Musk’s revolutionary Neuralink chip implant.
Now, thanks to the tiny brain-computer interface, Ms Crews is not only controlling a computer with her mind but doing so with joy, creativity and a sense of humour.
“I tried writing my name for the first time in 20 years. I’m working on it. Lol,” she wrote in a post on X, along with a video showcasing her progress. “I am the first woman in the world to do this.”
Incredibly, Ms Crews can now move a digital cursor, draw pictures, type on a virtual keyboard and even scroll through pages, just by thinking. In recent days, she’s shared colourful sketches of cats, suns and trees, fulfilling requests from social media followers and delighting viewers across the world.
Ms Crews is the ninth person to receive the Neuralink implant, which was co-developed by Musk and a team of neuroscientists. The coin-sized device, inserted into the brain’s motor cortex via a minimally invasive surgery at the University of Miami Health Centre, uses over 100 microscopic threads to pick up electrical signals and transmit them via Bluetooth to a connected computer.
The result: a digital bridge between mind and machine.
“She is controlling her computer just by thinking,” Musk confirmed in a post on X. “Most people don’t realise this is possible.”
Ms Crews certainly didn’t expect it. Asked whether she ever imagined communicating again in this way, she replied, “Not in all my wildest dreams, but the future is here.”
Though the technology doesn’t restore movement to her limbs, the possibilities it opens have already been life-changing. She now hopes to write a book about her experience, using only her mind.
Images: X (Formerly Twitter)
