Human enhancement, brain implants and DIY biohackers
Human enhancement spans three overlapping communities: the transhumanist movement (organised since 1998 as the World Transhumanist Association, now Humanity+), the medical brain-computer interface (BCI) industry led by Neuralink, Synchron, Paradromics and Blackrock Neurotech, and DIY biohackers or grinders who implant magnets, NFC chips and sensors or experiment on their own bodies. As of 26 October 2026 no permanently implanted BCI is FDA-approved for sale; Neuralink reports roughly 21 to 27 participants (company or secondary reports), Synchron says a pivotal trial is planned for 2026, Paradromics implanted its first participant in June 2026, and China's regulator approved Neuracle's NEO in March 2026. DIY gene-editing and implant practice remains lightly regulated, with FDA warnings (2017) and a California kit-labelling law (2019) as the main documented responses.
Latest developments
Paradromics first implant
Paradromics announced on 17 June 2026 the first Connect-One implant at University of Michigan Health, in a woman with motor neuron disease. The FDA IDE came in November 2025; the device remains invest...
Synchron pivotal plans
TechTimes reported on 6 June 2026 that Synchron is preparing a pivotal trial in 2026 aiming for the first PMA filing for a permanently implanted BCI; this is a stated goal, not a milestone achieved.
Neuralink VOICE claims
On 24 and 31 March 2026 Neuralink and Elon Musk posted that ALS participant Kenneth in the VOICE study was regaining speech. A secondary site notes no peer-reviewed accuracy data are published.
China approves Neuracle NEO
China's NMPA approved Neuracle's epidural NEO implant, announced Friday 13 March 2026, for ages 18-60 with quadriplegia from cervical spinal cord injury; the developer cites 36 procedures and says all...
Key takeaways
Reference
Background6 points
- Transhumanism is described as an intellectual and cultural movement advocating technology to enhance humans beyond natural limits; the WTA was founded in 1998 by Nick Bostrom and David Pearce and rebranded Humanity+ in 2008 [wikipedia.org, 2026].
- Kevin Warwick had an RFID transmitter implanted on 24 August 1998 and a 100-electrode BrainGate-type neural interface on 14 March 2002 [wikipedia.org].
- Amal Graafstra implanted an RFID chip in 2005 and founded Dangerous Things in 2013; he is credited with 100,000+ implants sold by 2019 (his own figure as reported) [wikipedia.org].
- Neil Harbisson and Moon Ribas co-founded the Cyborg Foundation in 2010; Ribas wore a permanent seismic sensor from March 2013 [wikipedia.org].
- Grindhouse Wetware's Tim Cannon had the Circadia sensor implanted in Essen, Germany, on a conference stage in October 2013 by a body-modification artist, not a surgeon, without anaesthetic [vice.com, 2013-10-31].
- Quantified Self, a self-tracking community, dates its name to 2007 and held its first international conference in May 2011 [wikipedia.org].
Key players3 points
- Humanity+: executive director Edward Hudgins since a 12 December 2024 announcement; Natasha Vita-More became President Emeritus [humanityplus.org].
- Neuralink (founded 2016, Elon Musk), Synchron (Stentrode), Paradromics (Connexus), Blackrock Neurotech (MoveAgain), Neuracle (China).
- Biohackers: Josiah (Jo) Zayner of The ODIN, Tim Cannon, Lepht Anonym, Amal Graafstra, Jeffrey Tibbetts (Grindfest founder) [wikipedia.org; thebaffler.com].
Where it stands now6 points
- Neuralink: January 2026 reporting says 21 participants across the US, UK, Canada and UAE; a single July 2026 Spanish-language report claims 27 (unverified) [wikipedia.org; ground.news].
- Neuralink VOICE speech study (NCT07224256): Neuralink and Musk posted claims in March 2026 of restored speech; no peer-reviewed accuracy data published [basenor.com].
- Blindsight: FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in September 2024; no human results published as of the 26 October 2026 page edit [wikipedia.org].
- Synchron: COMMAND study of six patients met its primary safety endpoint (announced 30 September 2024); pivotal trial planned for 2026 [techtimes.com, 2026-06-06].
- Paradromics: first Connect-One implant at University of Michigan Health announced 17 June 2026 [paradromics.com].
- China approved Neuracle NEO on or about 13-15 March 2026 for ages 18-60 with cervical spinal cord injury [macaubusiness.com].
Numbers and figures6 points
- Neuralink Series E: $650M in June 2025 at a reported ~$9B pre-money valuation [wikipedia.org].
- Synchron: $200M Series D announced 6 November 2025; Stentrode has 16 electrodes vs 1,024 on Neuralink's N1 [techtimes.com].
- Paradromics follow-up: six years per participant [paradromics.com].
- CAN-PRIME: first Canadian surgeries 27 August and 3 September 2025 at Toronto Western [uhn.ca].
- Neuracle: 36 procedures reported before approval, per the developer [macaubusiness.com].
- BrainGate interim safety (2004-2021): 14 participants, 68 device-related adverse events, 6 serious, no removals for safety [sciencedaily.com, 2023].
Effects and evidence5 points
- Documented: BrainGate interim safety profile above; Synchron 12-month safety in six patients (company-reported); Neuralink disclosed on 8 May 2024 that threads had retracted in its first participant, Noland Arbaugh, and said software changes restored performance [nbcchicago.com].
- Documented regulation: FDA rejected Neuralink's first application in early 2022 over battery, wire migration and removal; FDA approved the first-in-human study on 25-26 May 2023 [clinicaltrialsarena.com].
- Documented: FDA statement of 21 November 2017 said sale of DIY gene-therapy kits is against the law [technologyreview.com]; California required warning labels on CRISPR kits from January 2020 [horizons.service.canada.ca].
- Documented: Cannon had Circadia removed after 94 days per one report; Wisconsin banned forced microchip implants in 2006 [networkworld.com].
- Claimed only: Neuralink speech restoration, Blindsight potential, Neuracle outcomes ("all participants improved", developer claim), Graafstra sales figures.
Competing views1 point
- Advocates say implants and gene tools expand autonomy; critics such as Fukuyama and bioconservatives raise safety and equity concerns, and some argue transhumanism revives eugenics [wikipedia.org].
Key terms1 point
- BCI: device reading or stimulating brain signals. IDE: FDA investigational device exemption, permission to run a trial, not approval. Breakthrough Device Designation: faster review, not approval. PMA: premarket approval. Grinder: DIY body-modification hobbyist.
Open questions3 points
- Will Synchron's pivotal trial open in 2026, and will any BCI file a PMA before 2028?
- Do Neuralink's participant counts (12 reported by Musk in September 2025, 21 in January 2026, 27 claimed July 2026) reconcile?
- Does Health Canada treat self-installed chips or gene-editing kits as medical devices or drugs?
Not yet established5 points
- Ontario/Canadian rules specific to implants: Ontario Regulation 136/18 covers personal service settings including body modification such as branding and scarification, but the page opened does not mention implants [eohu.ca].
- Any Health Canada action on The ODIN or CRISPR kits; none found.
- Whether Grindfest or BDYHAX has a 2026 edition; the latest found is the 2024 Grindfest [thebaffler.com].
- Humanity+ events in 2026; none found.
- Blackrock Neurotech 2026 trial status; nothing verified.
Full timeline
- June 17, 2026
Paradromics first implant
Paradromics announced on 17 June 2026 the first Connect-One implant at University of Michigan Health, in a woman with motor neuron disease. The FDA IDE came in November 2025; the device remains investigational and follow-up is six years.
- June 6, 2026
Synchron pivotal plans
TechTimes reported on 6 June 2026 that Synchron is preparing a pivotal trial in 2026 aiming for the first PMA filing for a permanently implanted BCI; this is a stated goal, not a milestone achieved.
- March 31, 2026
Neuralink VOICE claims
On 24 and 31 March 2026 Neuralink and Elon Musk posted that ALS participant Kenneth in the VOICE study was regaining speech. A secondary site notes no peer-reviewed accuracy data are published.
- March 15, 2026
China approves Neuracle NEO
China's NMPA approved Neuracle's epidural NEO implant, announced Friday 13 March 2026, for ages 18-60 with quadriplegia from cervical spinal cord injury; the developer cites 36 procedures and says all participants improved.
- January 31, 2026
Neuralink reports 21 participants
Wikipedia reports that in January 2026 Neuralink reported 21 enrolled participants worldwide; at end of 2025 Musk said high-volume production and near-automated surgery would begin in 2026.
- November 6, 2025
Synchron Series D
Synchron announced a $200M Series D on 6 November 2025, led by Double Point Ventures, earmarked for a pivotal trial and commercial preparation (TechTimes, June 2026).
- October 28, 2025
First UK Neuralink patient
Per Wikipedia, University College London announced on 28 October 2025 the first UK patient, who controlled a computer by thought hours after surgery.
- September 4, 2025
First Canadian Neuralink surgeries
UHN said surgeries on 27 August and 3 September 2025 at Toronto Western were the first Neuralink implants outside the US, in patients with cervical spinal cord injury and quadriplegia. Release dated 4 September 2025.
- June 1, 2025
Neuralink Series E
Wikipedia reports a $650M Series E in June 2025 at a reported pre-money valuation of about $9B. Other sources in search results disagree on the date and valuation.
- December 12, 2024
Humanity+ names new director
Humanity+ announced on 12 December 2024 that Edward Hudgins is executive director; Natasha Vita-More moved to President Emeritus. Hudgins founded the Human Achievement Alliance.
Earlier updates26 more, back to 1998
- November 20, 2024
Health Canada clears CAN-PRIME
UHN announced on 20 November 2024 that Neuralink had Health Canada approval to begin recruiting for CAN-PRIME, open to people with limited use of both hands from cervical spinal cord injury or ALS.
- September 30, 2024
Synchron COMMAND results
Synchron announced on 30 September 2024 that all six COMMAND patients met the primary 12-month safety endpoint with no device-related serious adverse events (TechTimes summary, company-reported).
- September 17, 2024
Blindsight designation
The FDA granted Neuralink's Blindsight vision device Breakthrough Device Designation, reported 17-18 September 2024. Wikipedia's page, last edited 26 October 2026, lists no human results.
- May 8, 2024
Neuralink thread retraction
On 8 May 2024 Neuralink said a number of threads had retracted from Arbaugh's brain, reducing effective electrodes. It did not say how many. WSJ reported removal was considered; the company said software changes restored performance (company claim).
- January 29, 2024
First Neuralink human implant
Wikipedia dates the first human implant to 28-29 January 2024, announced by Musk on 29 January; Noland Arbaugh was introduced on 20 March 2024.
- May 26, 2023
FDA clears Neuralink study
Neuralink announced FDA approval of its first human study on 25-26 May 2023, after the FDA rejected its first application in early 2022 over battery, wire migration and removal concerns. Neuralink was not yet recruiting.
- January 16, 2023
BrainGate safety review
A Neurology paper reported by MGH (16 January 2023): 14 participants, 2004-2021, 12,203 device days, 68 device-related adverse events including 6 serious, no removals for safety and no brain infections.
- January 1, 2020
Zayner self-tests DNA vaccine
In 2020 Zayner and two collaborators tested a DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine on themselves and live-streamed it; Wikipedia says all three showed immune responses (no independent verification on the page).
- June 30, 2019
California CRISPR kit warning law
California passed the first US law targeting DIY gene editing in June 2019, effective January 2020, barring sale of CRISPR gene therapy kits without a warning that they are not safe to self-administer. The Government of Canada foresight page describing it mentions no Canadian rule.
- June 14, 2019
California investigates Zayner
STAT reported on 14 June 2019 that the California Department of Consumer Affairs was investigating a complaint that Zayner was practicing medicine without a license. Wikipedia says the probe closed in September 2019 with no further action anticipated.
- March 15, 2018
Opal card chip fine
Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow was fined $220 for not complying with transit laws after implanting a chip used for Sydney's Opal card (BuzzFeed News, 15 March 2018, as cited).
- December 1, 2017
FDA warns on DIY gene therapy
The FDA posted a statement on 21 November 2017 saying sale of DIY gene-therapy products is against the law. It followed videos of Zayner injecting CRISPR and an HIV patient self-injecting a therapy supplied by Ascendance Biomedical. Zayner said the DNA his company sells is partly meant to inspire people.
- January 1, 2017
Zayner injects CRISPR
At the SynBioBeta conference in San Francisco in 2017 Zayner publicly injected CRISPR aimed at the myostatin gene in forearm muscle cells, reportedly the first known person to do so (per Wikipedia).
- December 1, 2016
ODIN glowing yeast and FDA remark
In December 2016 The ODIN released kits to engineer fluorescent yeast; the FDA said green fluorescent protein can be seen as a color additive, which caused controversy.
- February 1, 2016
Zayner fecal transplant
Per Wikipedia's body hacking article, Jo Zayner attempted a full fecal microbiota transplant on herself in February 2016. No outcome is given on the page.
- October 31, 2013
Tim Cannon Circadia implant
VICE reported on 31 October 2013 that Cannon's Grindhouse Wetware Circadia sensor, recording temperature and sending it by Bluetooth, was implanted in Essen by Steve Haworth, not a board-certified surgeon, without anaesthetic. Haworth reportedly charged about $200. Guinness lists it as a first.
- March 28, 2013
Ribas seismic sensor
Moon Ribas began wearing an implanted sensor in March 2013 that vibrates when earthquakes occur anywhere; her dance piece Waiting for Earthquakes premiered 28 March 2013 in Barcelona.
- January 1, 2013
Dangerous Things founded
Graafstra founded Dangerous Things in Seattle in 2013, releasing what Wikipedia calls the first commercially available implantable NFC-compliant transponder.
- May 1, 2011
Quantified Self first conference
The term quantified self is attributed to Wired editors Gary Wolf and Kevin Kelly in 2007 (hedged on the page). The first international conference was held in May 2011 in Mountain View, California.
- December 1, 2010
Lepht Anonym profiled
A Wired article from December 2010 profiling Lepht Anonym (self-surgery and magnet implants) is cited on Wikipedia's grinder page; the page gives no other detail. Her talk at the 27th Chaos Communication Congress is reported in secondary sources.
- January 1, 2010
Cyborg Foundation founded
Neil Harbisson and Moon Ribas co-founded the Cyborg Foundation in 2010 to extend human senses, promote cyborgism as art and defend cyborg rights. Harbisson has used his antenna to perceive colour since 2004.
- January 1, 2008
WTA becomes Humanity+
Per Wikipedia's Transhumanism article, the World Transhumanist Association (founded 1998 by Nick Bostrom and David Pearce) rebranded as Humanity+ in 2008. The Humanity+ article itself gives no date for the switch.
- June 12, 2006
Wisconsin bans forced chip implants
Governor James Doyle signed the law on 30 May 2006 and it took effect 14 June 2006. It bars forcing anyone to have a microchip implanted, with fines of $10,000 per day until removal; sponsor was Rep. Marlin Schneider.
- January 1, 2005
Graafstra self-implants RFID
Amal Graafstra implanted himself with an RFID chip in 2005 to open his home door. The chip was not NFC-compliant, per the article.
- March 14, 2002
Warwick neural interface
On 14 March 2002 a BrainGate-type sensor about 3 mm wide with 100 electrodes was implanted under local anaesthetic at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, linked to the median nerve in Warwick's left wrist. Dr Mark Gasson's University of Reading team designed it.
- August 24, 1998
Warwick RFID implant
Kevin Warwick had a simple RFID transmitter implanted on 24 August 1998, used to control doors, lights and heaters by proximity. The stated aim was to test body tolerance and signal reception.
humanityplus.org · en.wikipedia.org · networkworld.com · vice.com · technologyreview.com · statnews.com · horizons.service.canada.ca · sciencedaily.com · clinicaltrialsarena.com · nbcchicago.com · techtimes.com · uhn.ca · macaubusiness.com · basenor.com · paradromics.com
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