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4w ago

Synchron Debuts Native Thought-Controlled iPad With Apple’s BCI HID Protocol

The public demonstration marks the first time a minimally invasive Stentrode implant has enabled native iPad control in an FDA investigational trial involving ten participants.

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iPad thought control for ALS, paralyzed, patient, brain, mind
Stentrode converts brain signals into onscreen actions. Image: Synchron
Concept art of Synchron's Stentrode interface (Credit: Synchron).

Overview

  • In a video released August 4, Synchron showed Mark, an ALS patient in its COMMAND trial, navigating an iPad solely through thought using the Stentrode implant with Apple’s Switch Control feature.
  • The Stentrode device is delivered via catheter into a brain blood vessel to detect motor-intention signals and wirelessly transmit them to an external decoder that interfaces directly with iPadOS.
  • Under FDA investigational device exemptions, Synchron has implanted its endovascular BCI in ten patients across the United States and Australia without open-brain surgery.
  • Apple’s BCI HID protocol facilitates closed-loop communication by sharing real-time screen context back to the implant, enhancing precision and responsiveness of thought-driven inputs.
  • The milestone has intensified calls for comprehensive oversight of neural data ownership, privacy and cognitive rights beyond the FDA as consumer brain-computer interfaces near broader deployment.