The likes of Neuralink, Synchron and Precision Neuroscience, among others, continue to advance their platforms. Some even began clinical trials, while many more companies are vying to be the first to bring a BCI to market.
You may know some or all of the players in the BCI space. In 2022, we compiled a list of seven of those companies that you should know. Last year, we added another five companies you should familiarize yourself with.
Beyond those 12 companies, many more have their own BCI technologies that could challenge the space. Here are five more companies worth reading about — plus updates on some of the big names you already know.
CorTec
The novel stroke rehabilitation treatment uses cortical stimulation to enhance plasticity within the brain. CorTec won FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) for the closed-loop BCI in May.
Teams at the University of Washington School of Medicine and UCLA will conduct the first IDE study utilizing the CorTec system. The studies have NIH funding and aim to obtain initial first-in-human safety data. Additionally, investigators hope to look at the development of novel therapeutic rehabilitation approaches for upper limb impairment in stroke patients through direct cortical electrical stimulation delivered by Brain Interchange.
“The system is capable of interchanging information between biology and technology, between brain and computer,” CTO Dr. Martin Schuettle said upon receipt of the IDE. “That’s why we call it CorTec Brain Interchange. With our system, we are providing the technological tools that are needed to develop new therapies and brain-computer interface applications.”
Neurosoft
The Switzerland-based company’s technology utilizes techniques that engineer elasticity in thin metal films of sub-micron thickness. These materials enable the manufacturing of implants that can achieve long-term bio-integration into the body. This makeup conforms to the static and dynamic mechanics of neural tissue.
Neurosoft utilized its subdural electrodes to record the human brain in the context of an epilepsy resective surgery. Results pointed to the unique properties of the electrodes that can allow for brain insertions in areas where no other implant can safely be inserted today, the company says.
Paradromics
Connexus enables communication for people with conditions like ALS, spinal cord injury and stroke. These conditions may cause severe motor impairment, affecting the patients’ ability to communicate. Future applications could include treatment-resistant mental health conditions, like depression.
The fully implantable BCI can record from single neurons, using durable materials and packaging. According to a news release, advantages include the ability to obtain high-resolution data over long periods of time. This data can enable complex applications like decoding intended speech.
Paradromics was accepted into the FDA Total Product Life Cycle Advisory (TAP) program in July. In preparation for a clinical trial in 2025, the company also launched a patient registry so patients can submit interest.
Science
The company now owns the retinal implant technology developed by Pixium Vision as well.
The Prima System, a photovoltaic substitute of photoreceptors, already has FDA breakthrough device designation. It provides simultaneous use of the central prosthetic and peripheral natural vision. The company designed the implant for patients with atrophic dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It features a miniaturized, wireless, subretinal implant paired with a pocket computer and glasses.
Hodak, Science’s CEO, said Prima gives Science another opportunity to develop BCI technology for the potential restoration of vision.
Zander Labs
If successful, the company believes humans and machines can collaborate through the passive BCI. With this technology, they could perform actions, pursue goes and exchange information.
Managing Director Thorsten Zander highlighted the difference between approaches in the BCI technologies coming out of the U.S. and Europe. He said those out of the U.S. — like Neuralink, Precision Neuro and more — prefer invasive methods. They have more focus on medical applications, Zander added.
The Zander Labs approach opts for non-invasive methods aimed at serving users without restrictions. Thorsten Zander wants to “revolutionize human-machine interaction.”
Updates on the rest of the BCI landscape
Since the start of the year, here is what some of the previously covered BCI companies have been up to:
- Neuralink completed the first human implant of its Telepathy BCI implant in January and later completed a second this year. Controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk, Neuralink’s co-founder, said he expects the total implants to reach “high single digits” in 2024. However, the company hit a snag over a potential wiring issue with the BCI in May, saying that several threads retracted from the brain in the weeks following the first human implant.
- Synchron in July reported the world’s first use of Apple Vision Pro paired with its implanted BCI. That marked the latest integration of Synchron’s BCI with popular consumer technology after a recent collaboration with OpenAI. The Synchron BCI system is uniquely delivered through an endovascular approach, tapping into blood vessels to capture signals from the brain.
- Precision Neuroscience expanded its executive team with the additions of Jayme Strauss and Mike Kaswan in July.
- Neurable brought in a funding round worth $13 million to support its AI-powered MW75 Neuro headphones.
- Blackrock Neurotech, developer of technologies used in BCIs since 2004, picked up a $200 million investment from a cryptocurrency company.
- Onward Medical won FDA breakthrough device designation for its ARC-BCI system and was accepted into the FDA TAP program not long after.
- InBrain Neuroelectronics announced that it is leading a project that it believes could revolutionize the landscape of BCIs.
