Phantom Neuro, based in Austin, Texas, has received approval to begin its first-in-human clinical trial of Phantom X, a subcutaneous sensor array designed to be implanted in the residual limb of people with below-elbow amputations. The study, called CYBORG, will enrol up to ten participants at Cabrini Health in Melbourne, Australia. The company chose Australia for its early-stage trial pathway and plans to use the results to support a US FDA investigational device exemption application.
Phantom X sits beneath the skin but does not penetrate the nervous system. The sensor array reads neuromuscular signals from the residual limb and transmits them to a prosthetic hand, with the aim of giving the user finer motor control than surface electromyography — the method most myoelectric prostheses rely on today. Surface EMG picks up aggregate muscle activity through the skin, which limits how many independent control signals it can resolve. Phantom Neuro says its approach captures muscle signals without touching the nervous system, avoiding the risks of devices that interface directly with peripheral nerves or the brain.
The implant procedure is designed to be performed as a same-day outpatient surgery, with an expected recovery period of roughly two weeks. Participants will then go through a 20-week evaluation period during which researchers will assess the system’s ability to decode intended hand and finger movements.
The trial’s principal investigator is Michael Lo, MD, with Max Ortiz-Catalan, PhD, serving as coordinating principal investigator. Ortiz-Catalan previously led research at Chalmers University of Technology on osseointegrated prosthetic systems with implanted electrodes — work that produced some of the longest-running demonstrations of implanted prosthetic control in amputees.
Phantom Neuro was founded by CEO Connor Glass and originated from research at Johns Hopkins University. The company raised a US$19 million Series A in April 2025 led by Ottobock, the German prosthetics manufacturer, with returning investors including Breakout Ventures and Draper Associates. Blackrock Neurotech invested in the company’s 2022 seed round and became a research and development partner. Ottobock’s involvement is notable given its position as one of the world’s largest prosthetic device makers — a strategic investor betting that the control interface, not the mechanical hand, is the bottleneck in prosthetic performance.
Correction, 16 October 2026: An earlier version of this article said Phantom Neuro was Melbourne-based and had received FDA approval for the study. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and the approval is to run the study in Australia.
Correction, 21 October 2026: An earlier version of this article listed Blackrock Neurotech among Phantom Neuro’s Series A investors. Blackrock invested in the 2022 seed round.