Startup Paradromics has taken a major step forward in the brain-computer interface (BCI) race, announcing that its implant, Connexus, has been temporarily tested in a human for the first time. The 10-minute procedure was carried out during a May 14 epilepsy surgery at the University of Michigan, per Wired. The device, roughly dime-size and equipped with 420 tiny electrodes, was implanted in the patient's temporal lobe, tested, and then removed without incident. Paradromics' device aims to restore speech and communication in patients who've lost those abilities due to conditions like spinal cord injury, stroke, or ALS. Connexus works by translating neural signals into text, speech, or cursor movements.
The patient undergoing the trial was already set to have brain surgery and consented to allowing researchers to test the implant, with minimal added risk. Previous tests had only been conducted in sheep. Paradromics—founded in 2015, per CNBC—joins a growing field of companies, including Neuralink, that are developing implants designed to decode brain signals. Neuralink's device features over 1,000 electrodes. Other competitors, such as Precision Neuroscience and Synchron, are developing less-invasive devices that sit on the brain's surface or in adjacent blood vessels, collecting neural signals less directly. Paradromics plans to launch a clinical trial in patients with paralysis, who'd have a device implanted long-term, by the end of the year, Wired reports. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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