ABILITY Neurotech Completes First-in-Human Procedure for Implantable Optical-Link BCI
Summary
Geneva-based ABILITY Neurotech carried out the first human procedure for its fully implantable, batteryless brain-computer interface at the Technical University of Munich's University Hospital Rechts der Isar, under investigators Arthur Wagner, Bernhard Meyer, and Simon Jacob. The intraoperative study, planned for up to five patients already undergoing brain tumor surgery, captures 20-30 minutes of neural recording per patient under general anesthesia to validate the device's signal-acquisition system against established clinical electrophysiology tools. CEO Rotem Kopel called it a foundational step toward long-term implantation; the device is designed to transmit high-resolution neural data at substantially higher bandwidth than typical Bluetooth-based BCI systems.
Why it matters
Real-world signal validation in live surgical settings is a prerequisite most implantable BCI companies still need to clear before moving to chronic, long-term human studies — this is that step.
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