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It is said to be able to decode brain signals, in theory streaming thoughts in real time.
A paper-thin brain implant developed by a multi-university team is being positioned as a major step toward faster, less invasive interfaces between the human cortex and external computers.
Early findings suggest it could support future treatments for epilepsy, paralysis, stroke and sensory loss, while offering researchers unprecedented access to neural activity.
Researchers say the device, called the Biological Interface System to Cortex (BISC), creates a high-bandwidth wireless link that may ultimately reshape how medical teams monitor and decode brain signals.
A new approach
According to a study published in Nature Electronics, BISC is built around a single silicon chip and a companion relay worn outside the skull.
Columbia University engineer Ken Shepard said in an article on the university’s website, that existing implants rely on bulky electronic modules, while the new device “is a single integrated circuit chip that is so thin that it can slide into the space between the brain and the skull.”
Stanford neuroscientist Andreas S. Tolias, who co-led the project, said the system “turns the cortical surface into an effective portal,” enabling minimally invasive read–write communication with AI tools and external devices.
Columbia neurosurgeon Brett Youngerman, a clinical partner on the project, said the platform “has the potential to revolutionize the management of neurological conditions from epilepsy to paralysis.”
High-speed design
The implant measures only a few cubic millimeters and conforms to the brain’s surface. It incorporates more than 65,000 electrodes and thousands of recording and stimulation channels on a single complementary metal-oxide semiconductor chip.
A battery-powered relay station wirelessly powers the implant and transfers data using an ultrawideband link reaching about 100 megabits per second. The relay then communicates via standard WiFi, effectively bridging the brain and any networked computer.
Shepard said the team’s integration strategy shows how brain interfaces “can become smaller, safer, and dramatically more powerful.”
On the path to patients
Columbia surgeons refined implantation techniques in preclinical models, sliding the device through a small skull opening and positioning it directly over the cortex.
Early intraoperative human tests have begun, and collaborators at Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania are using the device to explore motor and visual processing.
The project originated under a DARPA program focused on next-generation neural engineering. A spin-off, Kampto Neurotech, is now developing commercial versions for research and planning steps toward clinical use. Engineer Nanyu Zeng said BISC offers “capabilities that exceed those of competing devices by many orders of magnitude.”
Looking ahead, Shepard said seamless interaction between AI systems and the human brain “could change how we treat brain disorders, how we interface with machines, and ultimately how humans engage with AI.”
See an explanatory video of BRISC right here.
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Sources: Columbia University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, NewYork-Presbyterian
