Blackrock Neurotech

Blackrock Neurotech is one of the longest-running infrastructure companies in invasive BCI. It supplies implantable electrode arrays and a recording ecosystem used across academic human BCI research. Its core legacy technology is the Utah Array, also called the NeuroPort Electrode, alongside headstages, amplifiers and software. ⁰³

The technology

Blackrock builds a full ecosystem:

• Implantable electrodes: Utah Array and NeuroPort Electrode
• Headstages and front-end acquisition
• Neural signal processing hardware
• Software and research tools

Utah Array

The Utah Array is a rigid, 3D microelectrode array used for single-unit and multiunit recordings from cortex. Its classical configuration has roughly 100 electrodes. ⁰⁴

Blackrock’s technology has been implanted in humans since 2004. In an August 2026 interview, CEO Marcus Gerhardt described 56 implant recipients and 55,000 patient-days of brain data. ^{03 10}

Explore implant geometry, specifications, images and the 3D model in the Utah Microelectrode Array device brief.

MoveAgain

MoveAgain is Blackrock’s bridge from research systems toward clinical use. The company reports that it received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2021. ^{01 03}

Research demonstrations

Human BCI research is often driven by consortia such as BrainGate and UCSF. These studies show what cortical interfaces can enable across different electrode technologies.

Speech decoding

Moses and colleagues demonstrated decoding attempted speech into words and sentences in a person with anarthria using cortical recordings, deep learning and language-model decoding. The 2021 New England Journal of Medicine study used a cortical-surface ECoG array; it illustrates the wider BCI field rather than Utah-array performance. ⁰⁵

Wireless recording at home

Brown University reported human use of a high-bandwidth wireless intracortical BCI at home in 2021. Its report describes a licensing agreement with Blackrock Microsystems to make the device available to researchers. ⁰⁶

Evoked visual percepts

Fernández and colleagues demonstrated visual percepts using a 96-channel intracortical array in human occipital cortex. The 2021 Journal of Clinical Investigation paper connects intracortical stimulation with artificial vision. ⁰⁷

Company and direction

Marcus Gerhardt is CEO. Blackrock is privately held and based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its LinkedIn page lists 190 associated employee profiles. ^{11 02}

Tether invested $200 million in April 2024 and became the majority stakeholder. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. ⁰⁹

Blackrock’s current direction combines long-term human implant experience, a broad research-customer base and clinical development through MoveAgain. Its technology page lists 1,000+ research customers and 40+ system configurations. Its company timeline links the research and milestones behind that ecosystem. ^{03 08}

Key questions

1. Longevity and signal stability. Chronic unit yield, tissue encapsulation and connector reliability remain central engineering constraints.
2. Surgical burden and infection risk. Many historical deployments used percutaneous connectors. Fully implanted clinical systems need telemetry and power solutions.
3. Scaling beyond 100 channels. Richer control often requires multiple arrays or different electrode technologies.
4. Clinical commercialization. Turning research performance into a product involves training burden, calibration drift, long-term support and regulatory requirements.