‘I had a superpower’: investors pile into mind-reading brain implants

The feature examines venture investment and technical progress in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), opening with Jasaun Knight, one of fewer than 200 people worldwide implanted with a BCI. After a temporary Precision Neuroscience implant during brain-cancer surgery, Knight described controlling a cursor and games by thought as “like telekinesis”. BCIs detect neural activity and translate it into digital commands; if they become safe and affordable they could restore speech and movement after injury or disease and make computers and prosthetic limbs more direct extensions of the body. PitchBook data show BCI companies raised more than $1bn in 2026, versus $1.56bn across the previous four years. Neuralink is the best funded, with more than $1.3bn across seven rounds, but dozens of competitors pursue different approaches. Invasive devices range from penetrating electrodes intended for long-term use, as at Neuralink, to thin flexible surface devices such as Precision’s. Non-invasive scalp systems avoid surgery but signals are weakened by the skull and are not yet reliable enough for thought-to-command control; an academic expert says their spatial resolution is poorer but they may help modulate brain activity. US companies such as Synchron, Blackrock Neurotech, Axoft and Merge Labs benefit from deep VC markets and a US regulatory environment executives view as more responsive than Europe’s. Europe’s CorTec, Onward Medical, InBrain, Neurosoft and Ability Neurotech draw on engineering, manufacturing and neuroscience strengths, but CorTec’s chief executive identifies gaps in late-stage and scale-up capital, fragmented reimbursement and the absence of a US-style regulator guiding manufacturers; CorTec chose US sites for initial trials. China has designated BCIs a strategic sector, targeting two or three world-class companies by 2030. Provincial funds, industrial zones, hospitals and private capital are supporting the field; ITJuzi counted US$962.5M across 60 broader-neurotech investments in the first half of 2026. The FT tallied roughly a dozen Chinese invasive-BCI companies, while many more work on non-invasive applications; analysts cite China’s large trial population and regulatory support as advantages. Beyond one-way signal decoding, companies are pursuing closed-loop stimulation that sends signals back to the brain. CorTec describes this as a dialogue that can adapt therapy, for example reading and stimulating motor-cortex cells after strokes. The feature then connects BCIs to prosthetics: Open Bionics uses residual-muscle sensors, but even advanced hands lack biological dexterity and sensation; CEO Joel Gibbard says control systems remain very rudimentary and BCIs could provide the missing interface, potentially restoring touch if signals run both ways. Open Bionics’ Hero Arm also uses superhero designs licensed from Disney and others. The article balances the investment story with surgery and signal-quality limits, funding/regulatory gaps, and the distance between present-day capability and science-fiction expectations. Knight is training as a software engineer and is considering neurotech work after his trial.