Background

Michel Maharbiz is a UC Berkeley engineer who developed neural dust there: ultrasonically powered implants small enough to be distributed through neural tissue. He co-founded iota Biosciences to commercialise the work and led it as chief executive through its 2020 acquisition by Astellas, stepping down on 1 April 2026. He was billed as keynote speaker at the ninth annual Bioelectronic Medicine Forum in New York on 14 April 2026.

Epia Neuro

Epia Neuro came out of stealth on 2 April 2026. Its 64-channel implant is placed over the motor cortex in a one-hour outpatient procedure that does not pierce the dura. It can both sense and stimulate, is charged wirelessly through a headset, and drives a motorised glove on the affected hand. First-in-human implantation is planned at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York later in 2026, with an FDA submission targeted for February 2027. The company had 45 employees in April 2026 and has not disclosed its funding. Maharbiz describes Epia as “totally independent” of any corporate parent.

Why it matters

Epia sells assistive function first and treats recovery as a possible bonus. “I don’t know how your recovery journey is going to turn out, but I can tell you that this glove will do what this glove does,” Maharbiz said, describing what a surgeon could tell a patient before implantation. That sets it apart from stroke programmes such as CorTec’s, which are built on closed-loop recovery. Epia estimates about 60,000 US stroke survivors a year are immediately eligible for a device of this class. Whether regulators and payers treat assistive and restorative stroke devices as one indication or two remains an open question.

Coverage on InsideBCI

• 22 April 2026: Maharbiz Launches Epia Neuro, a Stroke-Focused BCI Built for Lifelong Assistive Use
• 3 April 2026: Epia Neuro Launches With Read-Write BCI Platform for Stroke Rehabilitation
• 11 April 2026: Neural Dust Co-Inventor Headlines Bioelectronic Medicine Forum as Neurotech Investment Accelerates
• 13 July 2026: The BCI category is broadening beyond motor restoration in 2026