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News

ABILITY Neurotech opens Munich intraoperative BCI trial

Geneva-based ABILITY Neurotech has run a first-in-human intraoperative trial of its fully implantable brain-computer interface at TUM University Hospital in Munich, with up to five brain tumour surgery patients recorded over 20 to 30 minute sessions. A chronic ALS implant with UMC Utrecht and TU Graz is scheduled for Q4 2026. The device is an ECoG surface-electrode implant powered inductively through the scalp, using a laser-based optical link to move raw high-bandwidth neural data through intact skin, not an optical neural-sensing BCI.

Aug 22, 2026 · 4 min read

Market Moves

Bill Ackman commits $400 million to a new brain research institute after his daughter's brain haemorrhage

Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and designer Neri Oxman announced the Ackman Oxman Institute (AOI) on 19-20 August 2026, seeded with $400 million in Pershing Square Inc. stock and a stated further commitment of similar or greater size in a form other than Pershing Square stock. The institute focuses on brain research, rehabilitation, longevity, and human optimization, with Mount Sinai as an important clinical partner. Ackman cited Neuralink, Precision Neuroscience, Synchron, Science Corp and Nudge as examples of the BCI field the institute will engage with, without claiming direct equity in any of them.

Aug 22 · 3 min read

Policy & Regulation

The White House re-shelved brain-computer interfaces under 'Future Computing'

The Office of Science and Technology Policy released its National Security Science and Technology Strategy on 19 August 2026, narrowing the Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) list from 18 domains to 14. Brain-computer interfaces were moved from the retired 'Human-Machine Interfaces' category into 'Future Computing Technologies'. Neurotechnologies were separately moved into 'Biotechnology'. In parallel, US Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement is running through the existing Entity List rather than a BCI-specific export rule: Dallas-based neuroscience equipment manufacturer Plexon accepted a $1.7 million suspended civil penalty for unlicensed exports to Entity-Listed parties in China. BIS's 2021 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on BCI export controls has never been finalised.

Aug 22 · 4 min read

Market Moves

Weiling Medical raises over RMB 100 million for its surface-electrode brain implant

Shenzhen's Weiling Medical Technology closed a new funding round of over RMB 100 million on 17 August 2026, led by Junzhong Capital with STAR Market-listed Innotek (688253.SH) as core industrial investor via the Jiaxing Innotek Industrial Fund. Weiling develops a fully implantable, flexible thin-film cortical electrode that sits on the cortical surface rather than penetrating brain tissue. A first-in-human implant in Guangdong in mid-June 2026 was reported by the company to restore forearm and wrist movement in the left upper limb of a locked-in syndrome patient.

Aug 20 · 3 min read

Research

DARPA's Firefox programme wants a 100-channel non-invasive brain-computer interface

DARPA has opened its Firefox programme, run out of the Biological Technologies Office by program manager Dr Pedro Irazoqui, targeting a coherent-optical non-invasive brain-computer interface at 100 channels with 50-micron spatial and 100-microsecond temporal resolution. The stated goal is to replace surgically implanted electrodes. Proposers Day is 1 September 2026, registration closes 21 August. Firefox appears to follow directly from the coherent-optical track first funded under DARPA's N3 program at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2019.

Aug 20 · 4 min read

Market Moves

China's first commercial insurance policy for invasive BCI surgery is out

State-owned PICC Property and Casualty signed China's first commercial insurance policy covering invasive brain-computer interface surgery on Wednesday 12 August 2026. Counterparty is the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Zhejiang Provincial Government Office released a same-day industry-policy package. Hong Kong and Shenzhen BCI-tagged stocks rallied.

Aug 16 · 2 min read

Policy & Regulation

China's first foundational BCI national standards took effect on 1 August 2026

China has published its first national-level rulebook for how brain-computer interfaces should be built and how their data should be shared. Two recommended national standards, GB/T 47023-2026 and GB/T 47127-2026, took effect on 1 August 2026, setting a common technical vocabulary and a shared data format for Chinese BCI companies, hospitals, and researchers. A third standard covering visual-evoked-potential data follows on 1 October 2026. Jointly issued by SAMR and SAC. Published 28 January 2026.

Aug 16 · 3 min read

Industry News

BlueWind Medical receives FDA 510(k) clearance for the Revi Extend implant

BlueWind Medical received FDA 510(k) clearance on 5 August 2026 for Revi Extend, an updated version of its implantable posterior-tibial-nerve neuromodulation device with implant longevity extended from 10 to 15 years. Revi Extend is the second 510(k) in the Revi family; the base Revi System was authorised in August 2023 via FDA De Novo classification grant. OASIS three-year data supported the update. Revi is a peripheral-nerve stimulator, not a brain-computer interface, and is covered under InsideBCI's bioelectronic-medicine adjacency scope.

Aug 16 · 3 min read

Research

DARPA is funding non-invasive neuroplasticity technology

DARPA's Defense Sciences Office has posted Special Notice DARPA-SN-26-111 for its forthcoming SHINE (Selective Harnessing of Intrinsic Neuroplasticity Engineering) Disruption Opportunity, with a prerecorded Information Session webcast on 25 August 2026 and the DO release anticipated the same month. Program manager is Robin Bonomi. SHINE aims to non-invasively induce adaptive neuroplasticity in targeted dysfunctional neural circuits for injury recovery, spanning five modality domains. Awards will be Other Transactions for prototype projects. Registration closes 14 August 2026 and is unusually open to foreign nationals.

Aug 11 · 4 min read