Brain implant lets people control devices using brain signals

A company called Synchron, backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, may become the first to commercialise a brain implant that lets people control touchscreen devices using brain signals.

A company called Synchron, backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, may become the first to commercialise a brain implant that lets people control touchscreen devices using brain signals. The race to commercialise brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) is gathering pace, and one company – Synchron – is leading the way. Backed by investments from Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, the Brooklyn-based firm beat competitors in winning regulatory approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to conduct clinical trials in 2021.

Synchron has also shunned invasive, open-skull surgeries for brain implants. Instead, the company uses a less invasive procedure that inserts a special electrode array – a “Stentrode” – into a blood vessel. This is achieved through surgery to the jugular vein, allowing access to a blood vessel near the brain’s motor cortex, which controls muscle movements.