MIT Technology Review reported on 19 June that brain-computer interface trials are accelerating as several implanted-device companies move from first-in-human work toward broader clinical testing. Business Insider reported two days earlier that Paradromics had implanted its Connexus brain-computer interface in a first human participant, a Michigan woman with a motor neuron disease affecting speech, during an FDA-approved study at University of Michigan Health.
The Paradromics case shows why endpoints matter. Business Insider reported that the company expects to test communication functions after recovery, while Paradromics has said its Connect-One study is intended to evaluate long-term use of Connexus for restoring speech and enabling computer control in people with severe motor impairment. That is not the same claim as proving broad consumer neurotechnology, or even proving durable speech restoration after one implant.
Table: Selected implanted BCI studies
| Company | Study or device | Target population / endpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Neuralink | PRIME Study, N1 Implant and R1 Robot | ClinicalTrials.gov describes a first-in-human early-feasibility study of initial safety and device functionality |
| Synchron | SWITCH II | ClinicalTrials.gov lists an early-feasibility study evaluating safety and feasibility of an implantable BCI |
| Paradromics | Connect-One, Connexus BCI | Paradromics and STAT describe a study testing safe speech and computer-control support for people with severe motor impairment |
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, Paradromics and STAT, 2025-26.
Early-feasibility studies are built to answer narrower questions than the public conversation often implies. Neuralink's PRIME Study record describes a first-in-human early-feasibility study to evaluate initial clinical safety and device functionality of the N1 Implant and R1 surgical robot. Synchron's SWITCH II record describes an early-feasibility study of the safety and feasibility of an implantable brain-computer interface.
Those words are doing real work. Safety includes surgical risk, device stability and adverse events. Functionality may include whether neural signals can be recorded and translated into control outputs. It does not, by itself, establish long-term effectiveness across larger patient populations.