A reference guide to the companies, people, institutions, and technologies driving the brain-computer interface industry.
Swiss neurotech company building a fully implantable, battery-free ECoG brain-computer interface that streams raw neural data out through the scalp over a wireless optical link, for patients with severe paralysis from ALS, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Spun out of the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in March 2025.
Los Angeles-based neuroscience software company translating brain signals into actionable insights for entertainment, wellness, and enterprise applications. Founded in 2016 by neuroscientist Dan Furman and software engineer Eitan Kay.
Cambridge, Massachusetts company developing an implantable brain-computer interface built on Fleuron, a soft polymer electrode material. It raised a $55 million Series A led by Thailand's C.P. Group Innovation in April 2026 and has run an acute intraoperative test in a patient in Shanghai.
Shanghai startup building a non-invasive brain-computer interface around low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound. Closed a RMB 200 million Pre-A round co-led by HongShan and Yunqi Partners on 22 September 2026, with closed-loop clinical trials scheduled for Q1 2027.
Manufacturer of the Utah Array intracortical microelectrode technology with decades of implant experience, an FDA 510(k)-cleared NeuroPort array (2011) and the FDA Breakthrough-designated MoveAgain system. Tether took a majority stake in April 2024 with a $200 million strategic investment through Tether Evo, valuing the company at approximately $350 million. Not affiliated with the asset manager BlackRock.
Bioelectronic medical device company developing the Revi System, an FDA-authorised implantable tibial neuromodulation device for urgency urinary incontinence in overactive bladder patients. Founded in 2010 by the Rainbow Medical Group. Closed $47.8 million in combined equity and debt financing on 14 May 2026.
Medical technology company whose neuromodulation business covers deep brain, spinal cord, sacral and peripheral nerve stimulation. It completed its purchase of peripheral nerve stimulation specialist Nalu Medical in January 2026, and its deep brain stimulation implants host CereGate's Parkinson's gait therapy in a US trial.
Chinese non-invasive BCI company developing brainwave technology and intelligent bionic prosthetics. Founded in 2015 by Bicheng Han, incubated at Harvard Innovation Labs, headquartered in Hangzhou. Raised $286 million (CNY 2 billion) in January 2026 and confidentially filed for a Hong Kong IPO the same month.
Silicon Valley startup founded in 2026 by Will Biederman to build a wearable brain-computer interface that images brain activity with functional ultrasound through the skull. Came out of stealth on 6 October 2026 with $13.5 million and a licence to Butterfly Network's ultrasound-on-chip technology.
Burlington, Massachusetts ultrasound company listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BFLY. Through Butterfly Embedded it licenses its Ultrasound-on-Chip semiconductor platform to ultrasound brain-computer interface developers, including Merge Labs, which named Butterfly its exclusive chip-based ultrasound partner in September 2026.
Munich company developing software that delivers a freezing-of-gait therapy for Parkinson's disease through patients' existing Boston Scientific deep brain stimulation implants. An unnamed US medtech company led its Series C, announced on 14 October 2026.
German BCI company developing the Brain Interchange fully wireless closed-loop implant, advancing stroke rehabilitation through NIH-funded clinical trials.
Australian biotech company behind the CL1 biological computer (launched March 2025), exploring biological computing through DishBrain, a hybrid system of cultured neurons on microelectrode arrays that demonstrated learned behavior in arcade games.
NASDAQ-listed bioelectronic medicine company developing Barostim, an FDA-approved baroreflex neuromodulation therapy for heart failure. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
San Francisco startup led by Michel Maharbiz developing a minimally invasive brain-computer interface that drives a motorised glove for people with upper-limb impairment after stroke. Came out of stealth in April 2026, with human demonstrations planned at Lenox Hill Hospital and an FDA submission targeted for February 2027.
Chinese ultrasound BCI startup founded by Shanda billionaire Tianqiao Chen and ex-NeuroXess founder Phoenix Peng, building a non-invasive ultrasound platform for neuromodulation and functional imaging, with chronic pain as the lead indication. Corporate entity registered September 2025; operations launched January 2026.
Barcelona-based neurotechnology company developing graphene-based brain-computer interfaces and intelligent network modulation devices. Spinout of ICN2 and ICREA, founded in 2019. Completed the world's first application of a graphene BCI in a human patient at Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester, September 2024.
NYSE-listed medical device company that makes the Inspire hypoglossal nerve stimulator, an FDA-approved implantable therapy for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in patients who cannot tolerate CPAP. Headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
Medical technology company whose neuromodulation business spans spinal cord, deep brain, sacral and tibial nerve stimulation. In 2026 it bought SPR Therapeutics, maker of a 60-day peripheral nerve stimulation therapy for chronic pain, and agreed to integrate Precision Neuroscience's brain-computer interface with its surgical navigation platform.
Brain-computer interface research lab focused on bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximise human ability. Co-founded by Sam Altman and Alex Blania alongside Mikhail Shapiro, Tyson Aflalo, Sumner Norman, and Sandro Herbig. Launched publicly on 15 January 2026 with a $252 million seed round at an $850 million valuation, in which OpenAI wrote the largest cheque.
Swiss-founded brain-technology company developing neurorehabilitation platforms at the intersection of neuroscience, biosensing, engineering, mixed reality, and artificial intelligence. Founded in Lausanne in 2012 by Tej Tadi; reached a reported $1 billion valuation in 2016 and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange as MindMaze Therapeutics (MMTX) in December 2025.
UK chip designer building ultra-low-power miniaturised neural interface integrated circuits for implantable brain-computer interfaces. Imperial College London spinout founded in 2022.
Nasdaq-listed bioelectronic medicine company (NASDAQ MOBI) developing the Vivistim Paired Vagus Nerve Stimulation System, an FDA-approved paired-VNS therapy for chronic stroke upper-limb recovery. Renamed from MicroTransponder in February 2026; IPO priced May 2026 at $15 with first-week trading -22%.
Houston-based Rice University spinout developing DOT, a millimetre-scale, battery-free, wirelessly powered brain stimulator implanted above the dura, for treatment-resistant depression. The FDA approved its first clinical trial in April 2026.
Carlsbad California-based medical device company developing spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation technology for chronic neuropathic pain. Acquired by Boston Scientific for approximately $533 million upfront cash for the equity it did not already own (announced October 2025, closed January 2026).
Beijing-based BCI company incubated by the Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR), developer of the Beinao-1 semi-invasive brain chip and the Beinao-2 invasive BCI.
Boston consumer neurotechnology company that builds EEG sensing into headphones and licenses its brain-signal software to other hardware makers. It put its own Neurable One headphones on sale in the US on 1 October 2026, the day after California's governor signed AB 1883, which bars employers from using AI tools to collect workers' neural data from 2027.
Tsinghua-founded BCI company that received the world's first commercial approval for an implantable brain-computer interface from China's NMPA in March 2026. Headquartered in Shanghai, with operations in Beijing and Changzhou.
Elon Musk's direct brain-computer interface company pursuing closed-loop neural recording and stimulation through minimally invasive robotic implantation and high-electrode-count chips.
Cleveland neuromodulation company developing the Injectrode, a peripheral nerve electrode delivered through a single needle under local anaesthesia. Announced its first patient implant in a US Department of Defense-funded bladder-control trial for people with spinal cord injury in June 2026.
NASDAQ-listed neurotechnology company developing closed-loop responsive neurostimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy. The RNS System is an FDA-approved closed-loop brain-implant therapy for refractory focal epilepsy, whose PMA supplement for an IGE expansion the FDA found not approvable in its current form in July 2026.
Swiss neurotech company developing soft, stretchable cortical electrode arrays that sit on the surface of the brain without penetrating tissue. EPFL spinout from Prof. Stéphanie Lacour's Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces, founded in 2020 and headquartered at Campus Biotech Geneva.
Shanghai-headquartered BCI company that reported China's first fully implanted, battery-powered BCI implant in late 2025 and is building a 14,300 sqm production facility in Jiangxi province for scale manufacturing.
Allston, Massachusetts company developing the Smart Neurostimulation System, a 60-channel closed-loop brain implant for memory loss after traumatic brain injury. Received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation on 13 March 2026; the device is preclinical, with an IDE application planned for 2026.
European medtech company developing spinal cord stimulation therapies that restore movement and function after spinal cord injury, integrated with BCI technology.
Open-source brain-computer interface hardware and software company providing accessible EEG headsets and the Galea multi-modal biosensing platform for research and development.
Austin-based BCI startup developing the Connexus system a 421-electrode intracortical implant in the Connect-One clinical study for speech restoration and computer control.
Co-founded by ex-Neuralink neurosurgeon Benjamin Rapoport, developing the Layer 7 surface-array BCI, FDA 510(k)-cleared for temporary use of less than 30 days.
Belgian neurotech startup developing the Occular cortical visual prosthesis, a brain implant that restores functional vision by stimulating the visual cortex directly. Founded in 2020 by Prof. Peter Janssen and Dr. Frederik Ceyssens out of KU Leuven. FDA Breakthrough Device Designation (March 2026); first short-term human study planned for October 2026.
California startup building a non-invasive EEG baseball cap meant to turn imagined words and trained mental commands into text and instructions for AI assistants. Raised a $50 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures, announced on 9 October 2026; an early prototype is due at CES in January 2027.
Alameda, California neural engineering company founded in 2021 by Neuralink co-founder Max Hodak. Its PRIMA retinal implant went on sale in Europe in July 2026 for geographic atrophy, the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration, and is pending FDA approval in the United States.
Cleveland-based medical device company developing the SPRINT Peripheral Nerve Stimulation System, an FDA-cleared 60-day percutaneous PNS therapy for chronic pain. Acquired by Medtronic for approximately $650 million in upfront cash; announced 20 May 2026 and completed 16 July 2026.
Shanghai-based invasive BCI startup backed by Alibaba and Tencent, with over $160 million raised in cumulative funding and a 256-channel wireless implant in human trials.
Palo Alto startup developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface that pairs intranasally delivered nanoparticles with a wearable magnetic-coil headset. It has raised US$27 million in seed funding, named Ray Kurzweil Product and Vision Advisor in September 2026, and is still in mouse studies.
Endovascular brain-computer interface company developing the Stentrode for motor control without open brain surgery. Founded in Melbourne in 2012 by Tom Oxley and Nicholas Opie, now headquartered in New York. Raised $200 million Series D in November 2025 bringing total funding to $345 million.
Shenzhen company developing a fully implantable brain-computer interface built on a flexible thin-film electrode that lies on the surface of the brain. It raised over RMB 100 million in August 2026 and reported its first human implant, in a patient with locked-in syndrome, in mid-June 2026.
BCI researcher at University of Pittsburgh who led the development of motor BCIs enabling paralyzed individuals to control robotic arms with high degrees of freedom through brain signals.
Neuroscientist who discovered population vector coding, demonstrating how populations of motor cortex neurons encode movement direction and providing foundational theory for brain-computer interfaces.
First woman to receive the Neuralink brain-computer interface implant and the ninth participant in Neuralink's PRIME clinical trial. Paralysed since a 2005 spinal cord injury at age 16, she now uses neural signals to write and draw on a computer.
Neurosurgeon and co-founder of Precision Neuroscience, designer of the Layer 7 cortical interface surface array, previously one of Neuralink's eight founding-team members (2016 to 2018).
Founder and CEO of BrainCo, the Harvard Innovation Labs-incubated non-invasive brain-computer interface company now headquartered in Hangzhou, China. Founded BrainCo in 2015 while pursuing his PhD at Harvard's Center for Brain Science.
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cortical Labs since 28 August 2026 (previously Chief Scientific Officer), leading development of biological computers powered by cultured neurons
American technology entrepreneur and founder of Kernel (non-invasive brain measurement company) and Blueprint (anti-aging and longevity protocol). Sold Braintree-Venmo to PayPal for $800 million in 2013, then founded Kernel in 2016 to develop high-resolution non-invasive neural measurement technology.
CEO and co-founder of INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, the Barcelona-based neurotechnology company developing graphene-based brain-computer interface therapeutics. Spent 13 years at Medtronic's European headquarters in Switzerland leading brain modulation and diabetes businesses before co-founding INBRAIN in 2019.
Participant in the BrainGate2 trial at UC Davis who has ALS and has used an implanted speech brain-computer interface at home for more than 3,800 hours.
Engineer behind the Feinstein Institutes' double neural bypass, Vice President of Advanced Engineering at Northwell Health, and founder and chief executive of Neuvotion, which is commercialising the platform's stimulation half.
Neuroscientist and engineer at Emory and Georgia Tech who developed LFADS (Latent Factor Analysis via Dynamical Systems), a foundational machine learning method for analyzing and decoding neural population dynamics.
American technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist focused on artificial intelligence and human-AI integration. Co-founded Vicarious, the AI research company acquired by Alphabet in 2022. Currently a Partner at Fifty Years (deep tech pre-seed/seed VC, San Francisco) and a high-profile public advocate of the human-AI merger framing of brain-computer interface technology.
President and Chief Strategy Officer of Science Corporation, appointed President in September 2026 to build the commercial organisation behind the European rollout of the PRIMA retinal implant.
Neurosurgeon and co-director of UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab. Led the 2024 UC Davis intracortical speech BCI study that achieved up to 97.5% accuracy in patient Casey Harrell with ALS, published in NEJM (Aug 2024) with Sergey Stavisky.
UCSF neurosurgeon and chair of neurological surgery, developed electrocorticography-based speech neuroprosthetics enabling real-time speech decoding from paralyzed patients.
Entrepreneur and co-founder of Neuralink, pursuing brain-computer interfaces as part of a broader vision of human-AI symbiosis.
Stanford neuroscientist and co-director of the Stanford Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory who achieved record-breaking speech BCI decoding speeds and accuracy.
EPFL neuroscientist who created the brain-spine digital bridge enabling paralyzed patients to walk again through thought-controlled spinal stimulation. 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering laureate.
German psychiatrist and inventor of electroencephalography (EEG), who first recorded the electrical activity of the human brain in 1924.
Stanford neurosurgeon and co-director of the Stanford Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory who has performed numerous BCI implant surgeries, including record-breaking speech BCIs.
Swiss neuroscientist and functional neurosurgeon at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and EPFL. Co-leads the Brain-Spine Digital Bridge research programme with Grégoire Courtine and the NeuroRestore Laboratory jointly managed by CHUV, the University of Lausanne, the Defitech Foundation, and EPFL. 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering laureate.
President and CEO of NeuroPace, the publicly-listed neurotechnology company (NASDAQ NPCE) developing closed-loop responsive neurostimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy. Appointed July 2023 with more than 25 years of experience leading medical technology companies.
Founding father of the modern BCI field, creator of BrainGate, and pioneer of the Utah Array-based intracortical brain-computer interface for human use. 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering laureate.
Neuroscientist and Director of the NIH BRAIN Initiative since 2020. Appointed to lead the multi-billion-dollar federal research programme developing tools to understand how the brain works and treatments for brain dysfunction. Previously a Berkeley faculty member for more than 25 years.
Spanish neuroscientist who pioneered electrical brain stimulation experiments, demonstrating the ability to modify behavior through direct stimulation of the brain in the 1960s-70s.
University of Houston neuroengineer who co-authored a review of every identified implantable BCI clinical trial from 1998 to 2023 and develops non-invasive brain-machine interfaces for mobility restoration.
Participant in the Feinstein Institutes' double neural bypass trial, whose three-year results, published in Nature Medicine in July 2026, show restored hand movement and touch that persisted after stimulation stopped.
Late Stanford neuroscientist whose laboratory developed high-performance BCI algorithms and neural decoding methods, posthumously honored as a foundational figure in the field.
Director of the BrainGate research consortium, Brown University professor, and pioneer of clinical brain-computer interface research whose work established the foundation for current commercial BCIs.
Clinical neuroscientist at University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht) and clinical lead of the INTRECOM consortium chronic-implant BCI programme for ALS patients. Her clinical research focuses on implantable brain-computer interfaces for locked-in patients.
Founder and CEO of Paradromics, developing high-bandwidth brain-computer interfaces that record from individual neurons to restore communication for people with severe paralysis.
Founder and chief executive of Science Corporation, which sells the PRIMA retinal implant in Europe, and a Neuralink co-founder who served as its president until 2021.
Co-founder and chief executive of Precision Neuroscience, the New York brain-computer interface company that closed a $250 million Series D in September 2026.
Co-founder and chief executive of Epia Neuro, a San Francisco startup building an implanted brain-computer interface and motorised glove for stroke survivors, and co-inventor of neural dust.
Brazilian neuroscientist known for multi-electrode neural recording, who demonstrated monkey brain-controlled robotic arms, and initiated the Walk Again Project connecting brain signals to exoskeletons.
Participant in the University of Pittsburgh intracortical brain-computer interface programme since 2015, whose implants have now passed a decade of continuous use.
Independent neurotechnology industry analyst and founder of Neurotech Futures. Publishes Neurotech Notables, a biweekly roundup on the Neurotech Futures Substack covering BCI markets, funding, clinical milestones and industry analysis.
Co-inventor of the Stentrode endovascular brain-computer interface and founding CTO of Synchron
Co-founder and CEO of Neurosoft Bioelectronics, the Swiss neurotech company developing soft, stretchable cortical electrode arrays for brain-computer interface applications. EPFL-trained engineer and researcher in soft implantable bioelectronics.
Duke University law and philosophy professor, author of "The Battle for Your Brain," and scholar of cognitive liberty, neuroethics, and the legal implications of neurotechnology.
Neuralink's first human patient, a quadriplegic who regained the ability to control a computer cursor with his mind through a brain-computer interface implant.
Pioneering neuroscientist who implanted the first long-term intracortical brain-computer interface electrode in a human patient in 1996, establishing the feasibility of chronic neural interfaces and the foundational case for long-term BCI use.
Executive Director of the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology and Principal Investigator of the Intracortical Visual Prosthesis (ICVP) project, the multi-institution consortium developing wireless cortical visual prosthetics for blind patients.
Chief executive of Arbor Neuroscience, the functional ultrasound research organisation formerly known as Forest Neurotech, and a Neuralink co-founder who worked there full-time from 2017 to 2020.
Serial BCI entrepreneur, co-founder of NeuroXess and founder of Gestala, driving China's noninvasive ultrasound brain-computer interface development.
Columbia University neurobiologist who established the Neurorights Initiative at Columbia and co-founded the Neurorights Foundation, which campaigns to protect mental privacy and other neurorights.
CEO of ABILITY Neurotech, the Geneva-based Wyss Center spinout building a fully implantable wireless optical-link ECoG brain-computer interface for patients with severe paralysis from ALS, spinal cord injury, and stroke.
Chief executive of OpenAI and a co-founder of Merge Labs, the ultrasound brain-computer interface company that launched in January 2026 with a $252 million seed round backed by OpenAI.
UC Davis neuroscientist and neuroengineer who developed speech BCIs achieving 97% accuracy and enabling people with ALS to speak in real-time.
French-Swiss bioengineer specialising in stretchable electronics. Holds the Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Neuroprosthetic Technology at EPFL, leads the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces, was the founding director of EPFL's Neuro-X Institute, and since 2025 has been EPFL's Vice President for Support to Strategic Initiatives.
Chairman and CEO of Inspire Medical Systems, the publicly-listed medical device company (NYSE INSP) that makes the Inspire implantable hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea.
Australian neurologist and founder of Synchron, who conceived the Stentrode endovascular brain-computer interface approach that eliminates open brain surgery.
Founder of Dargentic Intelligence and author of NEURAL (Fast Company Press, 2027), on how brain-computer interfaces will redefine commerce and power. Founder and editor of InsideBCI.
Chief Clinical Officer of Paradromics since July 2026, a neurologist who previously built Verily's neurology clinical programme and advised Medtronic's deep brain stimulation business.
Nonprofit focused research organisation within Convergent Research, renamed from Forest Neurotech in September 2026 and led by Neuralink co-founder Philip Sabes. It builds on Forest's functional ultrasound platform to make the outcomes of brain stimulation predictable, and Forest's founders went on to start Merge Labs and Bridge Neurotech.
Multi-institutional research consortium pioneering clinical brain-computer interfaces, founded by John Donoghue at Brown University and currently directed by Leigh Hochberg. Conducts ongoing human trials demonstrating functional motor and speech control.
US federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid and decides coding, coverage and payment for medical devices. It has no dedicated coverage pathway for implantable brain-computer interfaces, the gate that follows FDA approval.
China's top state research body. It named brain-computer interfaces an important priority field in its 2026 to 2030 plan and runs an invasive BCI programme through its Shanghai brain science centre, CEBSIT, with StairMed as industry partner.
Beijing brain science institute, established in 2018, that developed the Beinao-1 semi-invasive brain implant with its spinout NeuCyber NeuroTech. Director Luo Minmin co-leads the programme.
United States defense research agency that has funded foundational BCI research programs over decades, directly enabling the technological basis for current commercial brain-computer interfaces.
United States Food and Drug Administration's regulatory framework for brain-computer interfaces, balancing innovation speed with patient safety through Breakthrough Device designation and investigational exemptions.
Shanghai teaching hospital affiliated with Fudan University and the clinical base for three Chinese invasive brain-computer interface programmes: Neuracle, StairMed with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and NeuroXess. It began commercial implants of Neuracle's approved NEO-ONE SCI in July 2026.
China's national medical insurance administration. It created a separate pricing category for brain-computer interface procedures in 2025 and gave Neuracle's approved implant an insurance code two days after its March 2026 approval.
China's regulator for drugs and medical devices. It approved Neuracle's NEO-ONE SCI implant in March 2026 and has since set the classification and data rules that any brain-computer interface company selling in China must plan against.
Non-profit co-founded in 2022 by Columbia neuroscientist Rafael Yuste, human rights lawyer Jared Genser and entrepreneur Jamie Daves. It campaigns for neural data laws and has reviewed the privacy practices of 30 consumer neurotechnology companies.
US federal research initiative launched by President Obama in 2013 to develop innovative neurotechnologies and accelerate understanding of the brain. The Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative has invested more than $3.5 billion since 2014 and now operates a 10-year strategic roadmap organised around four Innovation Domains.
California research university whose Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory is a BrainGate2 trial site and a source of speech and motor BCI research, including a June 2026 Nature map of the human precentral gyrus.
Chinese university whose Haihe Laboratory develops non-invasive brain-computer interaction devices, including the 3-gram Brain Cube released in September 2026. It was approved in April 2026 to offer a new undergraduate major in brain-computer science and technology.
Dutch university medical centre with a long-running ALS brain-computer interface programme. It is the clinical site for ABILITY Neurotech's chronic implant study under the INTRECOM consortium and for CorTec's planned INTENSE communication study.
United Nations agency for education, science and culture. In November 2025 all 194 of its Member States adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, a global ethical framework for the field that is not legally binding.
Independent Swiss research foundation in Geneva, founded by Hansjorg Wyss in 2014, translating neuroscience discoveries into clinical applications. Has incubated multiple neurotechnology spinouts including ABILITY Neurotech (March 2025).
Beijing hospital that hosted Neuracle's first-in-human NEO procedure in October 2023 and was a trial site for the implant China approved in March 2026. Its teams also work on a combined brain and spinal cord interface and on endovascular BCI.
Semi-invasive wireless brain-computer interface developed by the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR) and its spinout NeuCyber NeuroTech. Its 128-channel array sits on the outer surface of the dura. It is in investigator-initiated studies, with a formal trial of around 50 patients planned once regulators approve.
Paradromics' fully implanted intracortical brain-computer interface, with 421 microelectrodes, in the FDA-approved Connect-One early feasibility study for speech restoration and computer control. The first participant, implanted in June 2026, was speaking her own words in real time by September.
Implanted electrodes that deliver electrical pulses to structures deep in the brain, an established therapy for Parkinson's disease and essential tremor with more than 200,000 recipients. Sensing-capable systems and add-on software therapies such as CereGate's are opening the installed base to new uses.
Subdural electrode grid recording technology positioned on the brain's surface, enabling high-resolution neural signal acquisition with lower surgical invasiveness than penetrating arrays.
Fully noninvasive scalp-based neural recording using surface electrodes, the oldest BCI approach with limited spatial resolution but zero surgical risk.
Brain-computer interfaces delivered by catheter through blood vessels and deployed next to the target brain region, with no open brain surgery. Synchron's Stentrode has been in human trials since 2020, and three Chinese programmes are now on the public record.
Emerging neuroimaging approach using ultrasound to measure hemodynamic changes reflecting neural activity; human BCI decoding so far has required an acoustically transparent skull implant. Distinct from transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) stimulation, which uses ultrasound to write to neural circuits by modulating them.
Precision Neuroscience's thin-film electrode array that rests on the surface of the brain. FDA 510(k) cleared (decision 30 March 2025) for temporary use of less than 30 days. Precision counted more than 100 patient procedures by September 2026 and targets early 2028 for the first implant of a permanent version.
Neuracle's epidural brain-computer interface for restoring hand grasp in people with tetraplegia after cervical spinal cord injury. Approved by China's NMPA on 13 March 2026 and on commercial sale since July 2026 at a listed RMB 475,000 per system.
Neuralink's fully implanted wireless brain-computer interface, with 1,024 electrodes on 64 flexible threads inserted by the R1 surgical robot. Investigational, with 26 people implanted across US, Canadian, UK and UAE trials by May 2026, and holder of an FDA Breakthrough Device designation.
Science Corporation's wireless subretinal photovoltaic implant for central vision lost to geographic atrophy, the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration. On sale in Europe under a CE mark since July 2026, available in the UK, and pending FDA approval in the United States.
Brain-computer interfaces that decode attempted speech from the motor cortex into text or a synthesised voice for people who can no longer speak. A UC Davis participant with ALS has used one at home for nearly two years, and company trials from Paradromics and Neuralink showed speech demonstrations in September 2026.
Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord through implanted leads or skin-surface electrodes, sold for chronic pain and now for restoring movement after spinal cord injury. Paired with a brain implant, it forms the brain-spine interfaces in trials in Switzerland and China.
Synchron's endovascular electrode array delivered via catheter through blood vessels to the brain, enabling neural recording without open brain surgery.
Non-invasive brain stimulation that focuses low-intensity ultrasound through the skull onto chosen targets, including deep structures, without surgery. A 'writing' modality distinct from functional ultrasound imaging, now drawing venture rounds in China and the US for pain, addiction, Parkinson's and drug delivery.
The pioneering silicon microelectrode array technology developed at the University of Utah by Richard Normann's lab in the late 1980s and 1990s, establishing intracortical recording as a foundation of human BCI research.
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