Our mission is simple: We want people with neurological disorders to walk, talk, see, hear, and feel again. We’re engineering the next generation of BCI.
So, you heard the news?
Our BCI tech has already empowered over 40 individuals with paralysis, lost function, and neurological disorders to operate robotic limbs, navigate wheelchairs, browse the internet, create art, and of course, communicate.
Using thought alone.
And with
The venture arm of digital asset pioneer
@Tether_to
, has invested $200M in Blackrock Neurotech to accelerate the development and deployment of our life changing BCI solutions for people with paralysis, lost function, and neurological disorders.
We can’t wait to help people
Historic moment in med/neurotech: the first double neural bypass operation (using our Utah Array). Keith Thomas is regaining mobility and touch sensation, showing the world that no obstacle is insurmountable.
Full story at
@TIME
:
#BCI
#Neurotech
#Medtech
"While Neuralink has yet to obtain regulatory approval to test its device in humans, Blackrock Neurotech has implanted BCI devices in more than 30 patients through clinical studies partnered with researchers around the world." Read the full article here:
Technology developed by
@Stanford
to decode speech from neural activity was licensed by both us and
@neuralink
in 2021.
Our
#BCI
tech has shown thought-to-text with 94% accuracy and was recently was used to decode internal monologue with 91% accuracy.
We're excited to have this technology available as a tool for the neuroscience research community as early as 2024 - with aims to have first-in-human demonstrations of a Neuralace visual prosthesis by 2028.
#Neuralace
#BCI
#Neurotech
We teamed up with
@ClearPointNeuro
to develop automated technologies for brain implant surgeries. Read the latest coverage in
@SeekingAlpha
to see how this will help patients move again, feel again, talk again and hear again.
#BlackrockNeuro
#neurotech
Introducing: The BCI Exhibit.
In collaboration with
@aaas
, we are excited to announce the opening of the world's first BCI-driven, thought-generated art exhibition in Washington D.C.
Watch more:
Read more:
Eight years ago, a patient lost her power of speech because of ALS. With our tech and
@Stanford
's phenomenal research team, this patient was able to communicate words at a rate of 62 words per minutes using her BCI. That's 3X faster than ever before.
Today the FDA granted Blackrock Neurotech designation for our groundbreaking MoveAgain BCI System. The first-of-its-kind system is expected to provide immobile patients the ability to control a cursor, keyboard, mobile device, wheelchair or prosthetic device simply by thinking.
It's official. Our BCI tech has been implanted in research patients for over a collective 30,000 days. That's 82 years, lived. It's also 20x longer than any other implantable BCI technology reported to date. This is huge. 🍾🧠
Did you know that of the 35 human beings on earth with implantable brain-computer interfaces, 31 of them were implanted with Blackrock’s technology?
#BrainComputerInterface
#Neurotech
A fantastic new
@Nature
piece just dropped: Decoding the Business of BCI.
@Liamjdrew
explores many of the neurotech companies that are paving the way for a brighter patient future (including
@Paradromics
+ more). Read it here:
Clearing the air: ~35 BCI research participants over 20 years, not 50 implants recently. All studies have focused on restoring and maximizing function in individuals with paralysis, and the results have been incredible. As the work and technology advance, so do the possibilities!
This is our Utah Slanted Electrode Array. She has 96-channels for highly selective stimulation and recording in peripheral nerves, varied electrode length for full coverage of nerve cross-section, fixed geometry and is ideal for nerve mapping. Fruit for scale.
#BCI
#Neurotech
Blackrock has announced its new BCI platform allowing patients with ALS, paralysis & other spinal cord injuries to create text by imagining themselves typing/writing by hand.
Our BCI Pioneer, Dennis DeGray, uses the technology in this video by
@NewsHour
This is our Utah Array. It's a small substrate of electrodes placed in the brain that relays data from the brain to a computer, and vice-versa. This is what's allowing patients to feel, move, hear and see again. Learn more: .
#BlackrockNeuro
#neurotech
“It’s not going to take decades, and it may not even take years,” says Blackrock co-founder and CEO Marcus Gerhardt, on how Blackrock plans to make BCI research software available to the broader medical community.
"After my spinal cord injury, I knew that if I had use of my hands I would be much more independent & have a better quality of life." -
@iburkhart
With our BCI, Ian has been able to use his hands – & regain his independence – once more.
#BCI
#Neurotech
A new
@60Minutes
piece highlights the remarkable work of patients, scientists & engineers developing tech that restores sensation to those who have lost it. Our device allows users to control robotics (with sensory feedback) through their thought alone. 🦾
Blackrock X
@RNELabs
. We're excited to announce that together we're bringing BCI research out of the lab and into the homes of individuals w/spinal cord injury. Geography is no longer a factor as we look towards expanding the number of study participants.
The FDA recently granted Blackrock a breakthrough designation for our MoveAgain BCI System, which aims to provide immobile patients the ability to control a cursor, prosthetic, wheelchair, or other devices – simply by thinking.
We're excited to have spent time with the brilliant
@CNN
Decoded team. We're even more excited for you to tune in this Sunday and see how our brain-computer interface technology is changing lives, today.
#CNNDecoded
#Neurotech
"2022 will be a big year for this Peter Thiel–backed company, as it works with the Federal Drug Administration to approve its newest BCI device, which itself builds upon an older FDA-approved device that has been used in several clinical trials."--
@Fortune
Blackrock Neurotech's cutting-edge technology enables people to "feel" with prosthetic limbs they move with their brain. How does the BCI work? Our partners at
@PittTweet
explain the groundbreaking technology to
@ChangingAmerica
.
#BlackrockNeuro
#neurotech
35 people around the world have an implanted BCI. 31 of them use Blackrock technology. We’re the leader in BCI technology, and we’re just getting started.
#neurotechrevolution
"Long before neural technology was a field of study -- before
#ElonMusk
even graduated college -- Blackrock's core technology was being invented," says
@ElissaWelle
for
@StatMediaNews
.
Read up on why our name is synonymous with BCI and what's next in 2023.
We got the
@bciguys
in to Salt Lake City for a tour of Blackrock HQ - Including a behind the scenes peak into our labs, a dive into our tech, a chat with a sampling of our brilliant employees and sit down Q&As with our CEO and President. 🧠
Watch here:
During human seizures, organized waves of voltage activity rapidly sweep across the cortex. Check out how the minds at
@BU_Tweets
came to propose a new theory on the source of these waves using our NeuroPort arrray in the new
@SfNtweets
publication.
#BCI
We are teaming up with
@Columbia
's neural decoder MINT, which will be integrated into the MoveAgain software, enabling patients' thoughts to be translated more optimally into prosthetic movements:
Some really cool publications from this last week that use our tech in their research
Microstimulation of the visual cortex:
Motion processing in pigeons:
Deep learning & dimensionality:
#Neurotech
#BCI
"As a C5/C4 tetraplegic patient...a device such as this being clinically tested...frankly, it would change my life."-- Ian Burkhart, on being able to one day have his brain interface for in-home use.
"They boast both the most implanted patients in the world (over 40) and the longest-implanted interfaces."
@Forbes
contributor
@naveen101
traces our journey from pioneering startup to neurotech powerhouse in his latest piece. Discover how our unwavering commitment to pushing
"Blackrock will initially focus on people with the most pressing needs — such ALS & severe tetraplegia — before potentially moving on to depression & other conditions where pharmaceuticals are not working effectively" -
@thenextweb
#BCI
#BlackrockNeurotech
"We are seeing the beginning of a revolution in the use of BCIs for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and disabilities.” - Florian Solzbacher, co-founder & chairman of Blackrock Neurotech
#BCI
#BrainComputerInterface
@Mdhealthoutlook
The Wall Street Journal (
@WSJ
) report is in: Our NeuroPort arrays restore feeling to areas that have lost it.
@Danielas_bot
explains how it works below 🧠
"If
#BCIs
fulfill their promise, perhaps the most profound consequence will be this: Our species could transcend constraints, bypassing the body through a new melding of mind and machine," says
@ferrisjabr
for the
@nytimes
. Check it out here:
#Neurotech
Their smiles say it all.
#BCIPioneer
Erik uses BCI technology from Blackrock Neurotech to move again and watches in amazement. It is so rewarding when our Pioneers realize the freedom this technology can bring back to their lives.
"It's very liberating!"
#BCIPioneer
Dennis DeGray is feeling empowered by gaining back freedom he thought was lost forever thanks to
#BCI
technology from Blackrock. Each and every pioneer story is unique and we love celebrating them together!
"I never had to think about moving my hand because it was just something that naturally happened." BCI Pioneer Ian sharing about the personal wins he has had thanks to Blackrock Neurotech enabling him to move again.
Mind over matter is personified with our courageous
#BCIPioneers
and Blackrock technology. The Pioneers are quite literally eating, moving, and feeling again and this is just the beginning.
"Blackrock electrodes are one of the best products...for chronic neural recording. All of my PhD publications used the Utah Array trying to figure out long-term systems for human use. None of that research would have been possible without the Utah Array."-- Dr. Cindy Chestek
London artist Max King sculpted a 3D-printed piece inspired by our Utah Array.
“I fed myself chocolate, then a string cheese, and then a red pepper”
2023 85x85x75 cm PLA, Pine, slot tokens
In Amsterdam? Check out the installation:
Musk’s impact on BCI: “He got it out to millions of people. You can sit back and be annoyed by that, but the great thing is...the awareness has risen.”
- Marcus Gerhardt, CEO of Blackrock Neurotech, in a recent article in
@Fortune
.
Join us in our upcoming webinar with Dr. Cory Inman (
@IM_inman
). We'll be learning about capturing neural recordings in the real world and how to test if direct brain stimulation can enhance memories at the spatial and temporal scales of real life:
🧠🧠🧠
James Johnson is one of only a handful of people in the world with an implantable brain chip.
He can create digital art in
@Photoshop
using the power of his thoughts alone.
He calls it his 'mind-control'.
We call it BCI.
#BCI
#Neurotech
#Medtech
This ALS patient communicated his first words in months using the NeuroPort Array: ‘I want a beer’. He also asked to listen to
@Tool
and ordered a curry. Have a great weekend!
#ALS
#BrainImplant
#BCI
"Blackrock is the clear technology leader for human microelectrode arrays. They are the only ones whose devices have been implanted chronically in humans. If you want single-neuron resolution in people, you can't use anyone else's technology at this point." -
@robert_gaunt1
For some, BCI is a futuristic promise. For us, it's technology that works today. BCI Pioneer Nathan had huge improvements in his sensory perception and now is able to identify which finger is being touched with a blindfold on. Another amazing example of the limitless power of BCI
We already know that direct electrical stimulation of the brain can relieve symptoms of a wide range of neuropsych diseases (Parkinson's, OCD, epilepsy)- but have you ever wondered how scientists assess what/where the stimulation parameter sweet spots are?
We're thrilled to announce our co-founders, Marcus Gerhardt and Florian Solzbacher, have been honored as finalists for the esteemed
@EY_US
Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 MW Award which acknowledges transformative leaders of high-growth companies building a more equitable future!
Your first kiss, your first time driving, your first bee sting: These are examples of episodic memories. Next Thurs, Nov 3rd, we're hosting a webinar with
@IM_inman
(
@uofu
) to talk how DBS could be used to enhance memories of our big life moments. More:
Are you a student? Have you always wanted to attend the
@SfNtweets
annual conference? Are you a PI looking to send your students to SfN? W1e're awarding 3 students with a $1,000 travel reimbursement to attend the 2022 SfN conference. 🧠🥼📚
Apply now:
Today is *the*
@iburkhart
’s birthday. Everyone who has had the opportunity to know Ian knows what a phenomenal and brilliant human he is - moreover, the profound impact he has had in the BCI realm.
Show your support and follow
@IanBfoundation
+
@bcipioneers
. Maybe say HBD? 🎈
Can you imagine never being able to feed yourself your favorite treat again? BCI Pioneer Jan made it her goal to feed herself chocolate and she did just that! Blackrock Neurotech is complex technology that amplifies the inate determination of the human spirit. Stay sweet, Jan!
At
#SfN22
, researchers at
@Caltech
revealed that BCI (our NeuroPort) was able to decode a person's internal monologue with a high-degree of accuracy. A huge development in restoration of communication for those who may not be able to produce speech! 🧠
This is Dennis Degray: BCI Pioneer. He became paralyzed below his collarbones after a fall. In 2016, he was implanted with
#BCI
tech and safely regained abilities to type and navigate computers with his thoughts alone. It's amazing - and the best of our
#tech
is yet to come.
Join us next month for a conversation with Dr. Pieter Roelfsema, director of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, on the exciting new applications of BCI technology for the blind!