The VOICE Study is Neuralink's trial to restore speech. It sits beside PRIME, which tests thought-controlled computer use, and CONVOY, which tests control of a helper robotic arm. Neuralink's landing page lists the three together: "Trials: PRIME, CONVOY, VOICE." The stated conversational goal is 140 words per minute.
What is the VOICE Study?
VOICE is a speech-restoration trial registered with the United States National Library of Medicine as NCT07224256. It uses Neuralink's N1 implant, the same coin-sized brain-computer interface in PRIME, aimed at translating intended speech rather than intended cursor motion. The conversational target on the PRIME explainer, and on this page, is 140 words per minute.
Why the VOICE Study Exists
PRIME showed that a wireless implant can hand digital control back to people with severe paralysis. Speech is the next channel. For someone who can no longer talk, a direct thought-to-speech path is the difference between typing on a screen and joining a conversation. Kenneth Shock, a former medical professional with ALS, is a VOICE trial participant at UT Southwestern, exploring thought translated directly to speech.
How it Works
The N1 reads brain activity through 1,024 electrodes on 64 threads. In PRIME those signals become cursor motion and clicks. In VOICE the same implant is aimed at speech. This site does not publish a separate decoding-speed figure for VOICE beyond the 140-words-per-minute conversational goal. The surgical robot that places the threads is R1.
The Economics of the VOICE Study
Nothing is for sale. The N1 implant, the R1 robot, and the companion app are still experimental. Neuralink's clinical program pays participants only for study-related costs such as travel. VOICE is a trial, not a product listing.
Current Status of the VOICE Study
VOICE began in October 2025 at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study as NCT07224256, first posted in November 2025. UT Southwestern is the hospital site named on Neuralink's trial map for speech restoration. Kenneth Shock is a publicly identified VOICE participant there. Neuralink's broader program, across PRIME, CONVOY, and VOICE, ran at eight named hospital sites as of early 2026.
What Comes Next
The number to watch is the conversational goal: 140 words per minute. This site does not yet carry a public VOICE result against that target. PRIME already reports typing up to 40 words per minute with the same implant family. VOICE is the trial that asks whether speech can go further.
The Bottom Line
VOICE is Neuralink's speech trial: same implant family as PRIME, a different output, a clear speed goal, and a named Dallas hospital already enrolling. The record is still early. The direction is the part worth watching.
Related
Keep reading: PRIME Study, CONVOY Study. Zoom out to the Neuralink overview, or open the Neuralink KPI dashboard.
Timeline
- October 2025: VOICE study begins at UT Southwestern for speech restoration.
- November 2025: VOICE is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT07224256.
- January 2026: Kenneth Shock is identified as a VOICE trial participant at UT Southwestern.
Sources
- ClinicalTrials.gov, VOICE (NCT07224256) https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07224256
- Elon, Explained, PRIME Study (conversational goal of 140 words per minute; VOICE as speech trial) https://elonexplained.com/neuralink/prime-study/
- Elon, Explained, Neuralink landing (Trials: PRIME, CONVOY, VOICE; UT Southwestern; Kenneth Shock) https://elonexplained.com/neuralink/
- Elon, Explained, Neuralink KPI dashboard (VOICE begins October 2025; NCT07224256; Kenneth Shock) https://elonexplained.com/neuralink/kpis/
- Neura Pod, participant roster context via the Neuralink KPI sources list https://www.neurapod.com/