Companies developing brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies certainly stepped up their activities this year with several starting to implant their devices into humans. After decades as an experimental technology pursued exclusively in research settings, BCI devices could be just a few years away from entering clinical practice – and investors are paying attention.
Precision Neuroscience Corp. recently raised $102 million in a series C funding round for its AI-powered brain–computer interface (BCI) technology, the Layer 7 Cortical Interface. The funding comes as interest in the technology heats up as clinical trials show that BCI devices are capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities.
Inbrain Neuroelectronics SL closed a $50 million series B financing round to advance clinical trials for its graphene-based brain-computer interface therapeutics platform. The company also secured additional funding from Merck KGaA GmbH which will go towards developing the technology for application across both central and peripheral nervous systems.
Onward Medical NV successfully implanted its Arc-BCI system, which restores direct communication from the brain to the spinal cord enabling lower limb mobility, into a third patient.
A new brain-computer interface (BCI) developed at UC Davis Health is able to translate brain signals into speech with up to 97% accuracy – the most accurate system of its kind.
Neurotech startup Synchron Inc. connected its brain implant to Apple’s Vision Pro headset, enabling patients with limited physical mobility to control the device using only their thoughts. Synchron is building an endovascular brain-computer interface designed to help patients with paralysis operate technology like smartphones and computers with their minds.
The first patenting from Los Angeles-based Ecate LLC sees the company’s founder, Allesandro Maggi, describe a bi-directional, closed-loop spinal cord machine interface that can bridge the gap in communication between the brain and the body in paralyzed patients.
Scientists spread across Europe and the U.S. filed for protection of an implantable electrode array including a plurality of microneedles, which may be implanted into the auditory nerve bundle and stimulate the auditory nerve in response to receiving electrical signals representative of observed sounds.
Synchron Inc. has acquired an equity stake in German manufacturer Acquandas GmbH in a move that will strengthen the company’s innovation and supply chain for its brain-computer interface system, Synchron founder and CEO Tom Oxley said.
Researchers from three California-based institutions are seeking patent protection for systems, devices and methods that allow brain-controlled limb movement and sensation.
