Brain-Computer Interface Trials Are Taking Off
Summary
MIT Technology Review reported that the number of people implanted with brain electrodes has more than doubled since 2024 to approximately 150 people worldwide. Academic teams are exploring a variety of devices from fully implanted to minimally invasive approaches, with technology improving rapidly. The UC Davis BrainGate trial has pivoted from point-and-click communication toward decoding speech using voice clones based on previous recordings of users' voices.
Why it matters
The rapid expansion of BCI clinical trials from a small number of tightly controlled experiments to dozens of participants across multiple centers marks a genuine inflection point for the field. With trials taking off and technology improving, the BCI field is generating the real-world evidence needed to understand who benefits most, how long devices last, and which approaches will ultimately succeed commercially.
Want the full NeurotechMag Pro intelligence database?
Access 800+ papers, trials, patents, funding rounds and news items — updated daily.
Start free trial