- Controlling a Wheelchair w/ Neuralink
- P26 Sergeant Lee Marten
- Latest Valuation
- Neuralink x Tesla Optimus Robot
- Elon’s Brother, Kimbal Was Paralyzed
- Solving Hearing Loss
Controlling a Wheelchair w/ Neuralink
In their latest post on X, Neuralink revealed:
Just to put into perspective how impactful and freeing this is, CJ, Neuralink’s 24th patient told me: “I would say the most important thing to me is being able to use my N1 to control my wheelchair.”
And Jake, the 7th patient with Neuralink says:
The way this works is shown in this post:
There is so much potential with Neuralink because the magic of having a brain-machine interface is that the “machine” part can really be any digital device.
These patients have been given *digital* freedom by controlling their computer mouse and keyboard with their mind. Now, the team is giving them *physical* freedom by being able to control an assistive robotic arm and their wheelchairs. How incredible!?
P26 Sergeant Lee Marten
Next, we have this article from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation titled: “Vancouver 'RoboCop' is one of 1st Canadian ALS patients to receive Elon Musk's Neuralink brain implant”
The 26th Neuralink patient, police Sergeant Lee Marten got the Neuralink at Toronto Western Hospital in late May. The article says:
“...Marten sees the procedure as a chance to improve his quality of life and advance science in a way that could help others.
"Getting a terminal diagnosis, you don't have much to look forward to," he said.
"This is going to maybe improve my time that I have left, and allow me to be a kind of trailblazer for anyone else going through this."’
I really liked the photos shared in this article. Here’s one with his wife, Lisa at the hospital prior to the procedure. And then another watching a hockey game while using the Neuralink at the hospital. This shows how quickly he was able to use the device after the surgery. And then this picture with two Neuralink employees in his hotel. Back in April 2022,
“He was working on the bike patrol with the Vancouver Police Department when his left foot began to drop.
At first, he thought it was a cycling injury, but he kept losing his balance. A fall off the steps to his garage led to a broken leg.
Lee is in the center of this picture on bike patrol with the Vancouver Police Department in 2022 when his symptoms began. (Submitted by Lisa Marten)
Doctors attributed the symptoms to a benign brain tumour and Marten had surgery to remove it in March 2024.
But the mobility problems continued to worsen, and three years after he first felt unwell, the devastating diagnosis came. ALS was destroying the nerve cells in his brain and spinal cord. It is progressive and there is no cure.
"I was getting worse for so long," he said through tears. "It was hard."’
Marten is no longer able to walk. He only has limited movement in his hands, which for now allows him to control his electric wheelchair.
Eventually, he will be unable to move, speak or breathe on his own.
The disease's progression varies from patient to patient, but Marten said the hardest part about knowing he will die from ALS is that he won't be able to watch his children, Rys, (Reese) 14, and Carys, (Cah-riss) 11, grow up.
The article goes on to explain that his wife saw an ad for Neuralink clinical trials pop up on her Facebook account. Now this may seem like a small thing, but it’s a big deal for all of us to each be individual advocates for Neuralink. If we can inform people about Neuralink as an option for those with paralysis, it can completely change someone’s life. So please share the link of www.neuralink.com/trials/ to anyone who may benefit from it, and of course, if they need more info about Neuralink, I’d be happy to have them check out my videos.
And we have this clip from the head neurosurgeon of these Canadian trials, Dr. Andres Lozano:
00:00 - 00:49:
And then when asked about the honor of being the hospital site selected to lead this trial, this is what he had to say:
03:30 - 04:02:
“In the days following the procedure, the Martens explored Toronto — attending a Blue Jays game and visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame.
On a whim, Marten got a tattoo on his leg, featuring a drawing of a human brain, the Neuralink symbol, and his patient number — 26.”
The article goes on to add:
Since returning to Vancouver, he has "homework" that consists of doing exercises every couple of days so the Neuralink engineers can monitor how the device is working. It keeps him busy.
Marten has plans to make playlists for his kids, and play video games with them, even when he can no longer move or speak.
"This disease takes everything from you," he said. "But if you can fight back a little and adapt, you can contribute."
Lee Marten became the first person to get the surgery where Neuralink’s electrode threads were inserted directly through the dura brain layer rather than cutting that layer and exposing the underlying brain tissue. He shared more about his experience in this video clip:
00:02 - 00:59:
Next, one of the best things about Neuralink is the ability to seamlessly integrate with existing support devices.
Kenneth is a Neuralink VOICE trial participant. His wife, Cheryl posted this:
“Last night’s experiment- can @Cyborg21 “speak” with his BCI while on bipap (buy-pap) (or Mr. Snuffleupagus) as we affectionately call it. It was a success! @Cyborg21 @neuralink”
And then we have this update from Jake who had his 1-year Implant Anniversary:
How special is it that this is possible at all!? Every time I talk with strangers who only barely know about Neuralink, the best way I can explain it is that this is truly like being given a second shot at life.
Latest Valuation
https://www.nasdaqprivatemarket.com/company/neuralink/
https://neuralink.com/updates/neuralink-raises-650m-series-e/
You may recall just a year ago, Neuralink raised $650 million with their Series E funding round at a valuation of around $9 billion. Now, according to Nasdaq Private Market, the valuation is above $40 billion, with growing expectations. As you might expect, there is practically infinite demand for investing in Neuralink after the SpaceX IPO. Long-term investors have benefitted from betting on what I believe are the best engineering teams on planet Earth. I’ve been considering making an episode discussing my financial model of the company for quite some time and now that more people have asked, I think it’s time to actually do it. It’ll probably be reserved for channel members.
Neuralink x Tesla Optimus Robot
Next, this is a clip from Elon talking on Tesla’s Q2 2023 earnings call where he says Neuralink could collaborate with Tesla for advanced Optimus prosthetics. Having a Neuralink connected to an Optimus will be the next step in increasing freedom for paralyzed individuals. 🦾
Elon on the Q2 2023 Tesla Earnings Call Discussing Optimus x Neuralink: 34:16 - 35:25: https://www.youtube.com/live/eUEojntzzAk?si=3f9v0q_aA6FOZCxc&t=2056
This is important to keep in mind as we’re starting to see more of how this AI revolution is going to play out. When Neuralink says they are building a brain-computer interface or brain-machine interface, that “machine” part could be a variety of different devices.
Anyone with a Neuralink could wirelessly connect via Bluetooth to their:
- Video game controller - Cell phone - Mouse - Keyboard - Console - Robotic arm - Wheelchair - And so much more!
Elon’s Brother, Kimbal Was Paralyzed
Next, I’d never heard this story before, but Elon’s brother Kimbal was briefly paralyzed after an inner tubing accident.
00:00 - 02:09:
The surgery fortunately ended up going well so he’s no longer paralyzed, but this reminded me that the Musk brothers are no stranger to putting their bodies at risk.
Elon shared this picture and also this post saying:
The next year, he added:
And then later in an interview podcast with Joe Rogan (02:19:20: https://youtu.be/tAJUwiAqW38?si=UnLOc_H_KzWxD-IK&t=8360 ), he said he got them fused together as he continued offering to fight Mark Zuckerberg any time, any place, with any rules, potentially in the Sphere in Las Vegas.
He’d also posted this a couple years ago:
Solving Hearing Loss
Then, I thought I’d share this relieving news for oh-so many. Elon posted:
This aligns with prior posts from Elon where he was asked this in 2020:
And this one in 2022 when he was asked if there is any hope for curing tinnitus, and he responded:
The number one condition I get asked about Neuralink addressing is tinnitus and hearing loss.
Last year at the 2025 Summer update (11:34: https://youtu.be/JSXyLKnWcsM?si=gh10ZlI5GJbqmvxV&t=694 ), DJ shared the 3-year plan and product roadmap where as you can see, tinnitus was listed as one of the conditions they hope to start making progress towards solving.
And I saw this post come across so maybe this will become a new segment where I highlight employees. Joe Kim recently joined as a Clinical Program Manager after time at Meta and the Naval Academy.
Here are some approximations for the employee count and follower counts on social media:
If you know anyone who would be a good fit as an electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, or embedded software engineer, send them to apply at https://neuralink.com/careers/ and then subscribe for email updates on this page and check out my other articles and videos where I discuss many more topics about Neuralink. Thanks for reading.
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