TMTPOST -- Synchron Inc. has publicly demonstrated the world’s first successful control of Apple Inc. devices — including the iPad, iPhone and Vision Pro — using only brain signals, a breakthrough that could accelerate the shift of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology from clinical labs into the consumer market.

The U.S.-based startup showed “Mark,” a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), using an implanted device to navigate an iPad home screen, open apps and compose text — all without moving his hands, speaking or even looking at the screen. The demonstration was enabled by Apple’s recently announced Brain-Computer Interface Human Interface Device (BCI HID) protocol, a native input layer that lets its operating systems accept neural signals alongside traditional methods such as touch, keyboard and voice.

“This is the first time the world has seen native, thought-driven control of an Apple device in action,” Tom Oxley, Synchron’s founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview. “It’s a technical breakthrough and a preview of a future where cognitive input becomes mainstream.”

The system hinges on Synchron’s Stentrode™, a tiny electrode array implanted into the brain’s motor cortex via the jugular vein — avoiding the open-brain surgery required by rival Neuralink Corp. Once in place, the device detects motor intent from inside the blood vessels, wirelessly transmits the signals to an external decoder and uses Apple’s HID protocol in combination with its Switch Control accessibility feature to carry out commands.

The closed-loop design allows Apple devices to send contextual screen data back to the BCI, improving precision in real time. “Now, with my iPad, I can message my loved ones, read the news and stay connected with the world — just by thinking,” Mark said in the demonstration video. “It’s given me part of my life back.”

Apple’s integration of neural input into iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and visionOS represents its first formal support for brain control. For Synchron, it’s a chance to show that BCIs can extend beyond assistive technologies for disabled users and into mainstream computing.

Synchron has long been considered Neuralink’s strongest competitor. In 2021, it became the first company to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for a BCI clinical trial, beating Elon Musk’s venture by two years. The system has since been implanted in six U.S. patients, enabling them to perform tasks such as emailing, online shopping and social media engagement using only thought.

Founded in 2012, Synchron operates out of New York and runs an R&D center in Melbourne, Australia. Its core technology emerged from the 2016 acquisition of SmartStent, a Melbourne startup that developed the Stentrode system with funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the University of Melbourne. SmartStent’s founders, Thomas Oxley and Nicholas Opie, joined Synchron after the deal; Oxley became CEO and Martin Dieck took the chairman role.

Unlike Neuralink’s skull-opening approach, Synchron’s endovascular method is less invasive, dramatically lowering surgical risks and recovery time. Industry analysts say this could make it more scalable in clinical settings and, eventually, more attractive to consumer markets.

Synchron has raised more than 1 billion yuan (about US$140 million) from investors including DARPA, Neurotechnology Investors, Chen Tianqiao’s Shanda Group and prominent U.S. venture funds. Its oversubscribed US$75 million Series C round in 2022 was led by ARCH Venture Partners, with participation from Bezos Expeditions, Gates Frontier and existing shareholders.

Among the earliest investors was Chen, a Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist who backed Synchron in 2021 — before either Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. Founder of Shanda Group, Chen has pledged US$1 billion to neuroscience initiatives worldwide, funding projects from invasive BCI research to the world’s largest invasive EEG database.

“The brain is humanity’s final frontier,” Chen said in a statement. “By investing in companies like Synchron, we aim to accelerate the convergence of neuroscience and AI. We’re not just investors — we’re active participants in a revolution.”

Chen’s institute at the California Institute of Technology was an early supporter of invasive BCI research led by Richard Andersen, whose former student served as Neuralink’s first chief scientist. In China, Chen has partnered with Huashan Hospital, launched the Tianqiao Applied Neurotechnology Lab and invested in BrainCo, one of the country’s leading BCI firms. He also helped bring the BCI Society Meeting — the world’s top academic gathering for the field — to China for the first time.

Chen has urged Chinese tech investors not to view BCIs purely as a quick-profit opportunity. “This is not like internet investing where you demand immediate revenue, quick licensing and a rapid IPO,” he said. “If you apply that model here, it’s a lose-lose for deep-tech companies and their investors.”

He points to Neuralink’s eight-year journey to revenue as proof that “patient capital” is essential to carrying innovations from basic research through regulatory clearance, technical validation and market adoption. “Capital should empower innovation, not extract short-term returns,” he said.

The gap between invasive and non-invasive BCIs remains wide. Non-invasive systems collect brain activity data through electroencephalograms (EEGs) or MRI scans without breaking the skin, offering a safer but generally less precise readout. Proponents of Synchron’s approach argue that its endovascular implants combine the signal fidelity of invasive devices with the lower risk profile of non-invasive ones.

Chen believes advances in AI, deep data analytics and machine learning could allow non-invasive or minimally invasive BCIs to match — and potentially surpass — the performance of direct cortical implants. The Apple-enabled demonstration, he said, is a key step toward making such systems commercially viable.

Synchron says it will continue controlled rollouts with clinical participants and work with regulators before moving toward broader commercial availability. With Apple devices now able to accept neural input as a native control method, analysts say the company is positioned to benefit if cognitive computing shifts into everyday life.

“This isn’t just about accessibility — it’s about redefining how we interact with technology,” Oxley said.

The company’s roadmap includes expanding trials, refining the closed-loop feedback system and exploring integrations beyond Apple’s ecosystem. Potential future applications range from virtual reality navigation to smart home control, workplace productivity tools and gaming.

While BCI remains a niche segment compared with other emerging technologies, its addressable market could expand sharply as hardware becomes less invasive and software ecosystems — like Apple’s HID protocol — provide plug-and-play compatibility. GlobalData projects the neurotechnology market could surpass US$30 billion by 2030, driven by medical, industrial and consumer adoption.

Synchron’s minimally invasive approach may also appeal to insurers and healthcare providers seeking cost-effective assistive solutions for patients with severe mobility impairments. Its FDA-first status gives it a regulatory head start over Neuralink, which has yet to match the number of U.S. human implants Synchron has completed.

At the same time, Apple’s involvement signals that major consumer electronics players are willing to embed neural input into their platforms, paving the way for non-medical use cases. That could pressure competitors to accelerate BCI compatibility efforts, from Android OEMs to VR headset makers.

For Mark, the technology is already life-changing. “I thought I had lost my independence forever,” he said. “Now I can reach out to my friends and read the news just by thinking.”

For Synchron, the challenge is to transform such individual success stories into scalable products. Its collaboration with Apple — even without a formal commercial partnership — could be a model for how deep-tech startups and consumer electronics giants intersect.

Industry watchers say the demo’s significance lies less in the number of implants today and more in the precedent it sets. “We’re seeing the first credible bridge between brain-computer interfaces and mass-market devices,” said one analyst. “It’s a glimpse of what the next decade of human-computer interaction could look like.”

If Synchron and its backers are right, the era of cognitive input may be approaching faster than most expect — with the potential to reshape not just assistive technology, but the very way humans use computers.