Everything is ready for this giant step. In the early months of 2026, Texan company Paradromics, one of the most advanced in the world in the field of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, will implant its experimental device in the heads of two volunteers, after having got the green light from the US health authorities (the FDA) on November 20 of last year.
The goal is an ambitious one: to restore, at least in part, the ability to communicate to people who can no longer speak owing to neurological disease or injury. However, it must first be understood whether the interface is safe and if it truly works as expected.
What does a brain chip that “listens” to neurons look like?
The device, the size of a small coin (7.5 millimetres in diameter), has a flat base from which protrude numerous tiny, stiff “spines” (minuscule platinum-iridium electrodes, thinner than human hairs), which penetrate about 1.5 millimetres into the cerebral cortex and are able to capture activity from individual neurons. A microchip inside this device collects these data and transmits them, via a lead, to a wireless transmitter implanted in the chest, which transmits the data outside of the body.
As reported in the scientific journal Nature, neurosurgeons will implant the electrodes into the areas of the brain responsible for language, which control the lips, tongue and larynx. It is in these areas that the signals generated by the brain when participants in the study imagine speaking a number of specific phrases, suggested by the research team, will be captured.
The neural activity will be analysed and processed in real time by artificial intelligence systems, which will transform it into text on a screen. The volunteers will simply have to confirm that the phrase displayed on the monitor is the one they were actually thinking.
If prior voice recordings are available, artificial intelligence can also reconstruct a synthesised version of the patient’s own voice, restoring not only their words via the screen, but also their vocal identity.
When this phase of the trial is complete, if all is working as planned, the system will have learned which patterns of neural activity correspond to each specific sound formed during speech. This will restore to patients the ability to “speak” – at least a few words – simply by thinking them.
However, this device will (could) be able to do so much more. Researchers will attempt to understand, for example, whether the same approach – recording the brain activity that occurs when thinking of performing a certain action – could also apply to hand motions.
In other words, the patient will be asked to imagine moving a computer cursor (the “little arrow” on the screen) using a mouse or some other device, and the system (the brain-computer interface) will capture the brain activity linked to these actions. If all goes well, patients will eventually – or so the researchers hope – be able to control a real computer mouse with their minds.
Additional studies are planned for the latter half of 2026, barring unforeseen contingencies, on a greater number of patients (about ten). During this second phase, each will receive two implants, to expand recording capacity and access more areas of the brain.
Needless to say, these tests, created for the purpose of helping people with severe disabilities, also open the door to a host of ethical issues: how lawful is it to “read people’s minds” using devices implanted directly into the brain? How can we prevent companies from storing or analysing sensitive data from people's minds? Furthermore, will it even be possible to “erase” recorded neural data? The questions are many but, as we wait for answers (that are yet to come), the field of BCI continues to grow rapidly.
The “competition” from Elon Musk and other companies
In addition to Paradromics and the more widely-known Neuralink, belonging to Elon Musk, which has already “implanted” 12 patients, the journal Nature also mentions the New York-based Synchron, which has developed Stentrode: a micro-device implanted into a blood vessel in the brain, where it records nerve impulses “remotely”. In early trials, these signals from blood vessels allowed users to select certain actions using their minds alone.
Neuralink, on the other hand, is betting on a device with 64 flexible threads, each with 16 capture points, positioned in the areas that control motor function. Thanks to this chip, the first patients were able to control robotic hands and computers, with what was considered a very high data transmission speed.
The challenges of speed and transparency
In BCI technology, the speed at which thought is translated into action is crucial. Paradromics claims that, in a sheep, its implant transmitted data twenty times faster than those of its competitors.
According to the World Economic Forum, there are 680 enterprises and start-ups operating in the field of BCI. This sector, which was valued at 1.6 billion dollars in 2022, could be worth as much as 6.2 billion by 2030.
The race is on. And, for patients who have lost the ability to speak, the hope is that it is more than just a tech race, but also the beginning of a new chance at communication. On the other hand, the fear that some could put these devices to bad (and dangerous) uses is growing. If, today, BCIs are used to interpret motor commands or words someone is thinking of, in the future they could be used to decode mental states, intentions or emotions.
