Applications

BrainGate pilot, first human results (2006)

Device: Utah Microelectrode Array (UEA)

First published results of the BrainGate pilot: a 96-microelectrode array in the motor cortex of a man with tetraplegia, decoded into a neural cursor and used to open e-mail, run a television and move a prosthetic hand and robotic arm. Hochberg et al., Nature, 2006.

Paradromics Connexus, Connect-One study

Device: Paradromics Connexus (cortical module)

The chronic human trial of the Paradromics Connexus BCI: FDA IDE approval in November 2025, first implant at University of Michigan Health announced 17 June 2026, targeting speech restoration and computer control.

Synchron COMMAND study results

Device: Stentrode (Synchron)

Results of the COMMAND early feasibility study of the Synchron endovascular BCI: six participants with severe upper limb paralysis, no device-related serious adverse events at one year, and consistent decoding in four of six.

UCSF speech neuroprosthesis (Metzger, 2023)

High-density surface recordings of speech cortex in a person with severe limb and vocal paralysis, decoded in real time into text, synthesized speech and a facial avatar. Nature, August 2023.

Intracortical speech BCI (Willett, 2023)

A speech-to-text BCI recording spiking activity from four intracortical microelectrode arrays in a participant with ALS: 62 words per minute and a 23.8% word error rate on a 125,000-word vocabulary. Willett et al., Nature, August 2023.

Brain-spine interface (Lorach, 2023)

Device: WIMAGINE (CEA‑Clinatec) epidural wireless ECoG implant

A fully implanted digital bridge that reads sensorimotor cortex with WIMAGINE epidural implants and drives epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord, letting a person with chronic tetraplegia stand and walk. Nature, May 2023. Europe entry, secondary region.

Handwriting BCI (Willett, 2021)

An intracortical BCI that decodes attempted handwriting from motor cortex and types it in real time: 90 characters per minute at 94.1% raw online accuracy in a participant with a paralysed hand. Nature, May 2021.

Neurally controlled robotic arm, reach and grasp (2012)

Two people with long-standing tetraplegia used signals from a 96-channel microelectrode array in motor cortex to direct a robotic arm in three-dimensional reach and grasp, including drinking coffee from a bottle. Nature, 16 May 2012.

Speech neuroprosthesis for anarthria (Moses, 2021)

A 128-electrode high-density ECoG array on the speech cortex of a person with anarthria after a brainstem stroke, decoding a 50-word vocabulary into sentences in real time at 15.2 words per minute. NEJM, 2021.

Bidirectional BCI with tactile feedback (Flesher, 2021)

Two intracortical arrays in motor cortex control a robotic arm while two in somatosensory cortex evoke touch by microstimulation. Trial times on a clinical upper-limb test fell by half, from a median 20.9 s to 10.2 s. Science, 1 May 2021.

Intracortical typing BCI (Pandarinath, 2017)

A point-and-click typing BCI tested by three BrainGate2 participants with paralysis. Typing rates of 31.6, 39.2 and 13.5 correct characters per minute, 1.4 to 4.2 times faster than earlier intracortical BCIs. eLife, February 2017.

7 degree-of-freedom neuroprosthetic arm (Collinger, 2013)

Two 96-channel intracortical arrays in the motor cortex of a 52-year-old with tetraplegia, used to control an anthropomorphic prosthetic limb in seven dimensions. 91.6% success on reaching tasks after 13 weeks. The Lancet, February 2013.

Neuralink PRIME study enrollment (2026)

Device: Neuralink N1 (flexible-thread implant)

How many people have a Neuralink N1? The registry, Reuters and trade press give different counts, from 15 planned to 28. A sourced comparison of what each figure measures, as of mid-2026.

Stentrode SWITCH study (first in human)

Device: Stentrode (Synchron)

The first-in-human trial of an endovascular BCI: a stent-electrode array in the superior sagittal sinus. Four patients with severe upper-limb paralysis, 12 months of follow-up, no serious adverse events and no vessel occlusion. Royal Melbourne Hospital, 2019 to 2022.