Cyberkinetics
Brain-computer interface for controlling assistive devices.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Spinout | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. was a medical device company established in 2001, focusing on developing advanced neurological products to restore function for individuals with paralysis and other nervous system disorders. The company was co-founded by John Donoghue, Mijail Serruya, and Gerhard Friehs from Brown University, along with Nicho Hatsopoulos from the University of Chicago. The firm's technology was built upon years of research from institutions including Brown University, the University of Utah, Emory University, and MIT.
The company's flagship product was the BrainGate system, a brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to allow a person to control a computer or other devices through thought. This system involved a sensor implanted on the brain's motor cortex to detect neural signals related to intended movement, which were then decoded by a computer. In 2002, Cyberkinetics merged with Bionic Technologies, founded by Richard A. Normann, the inventor of the Utah Array microelectrode which became a key component of the BrainGate system. Cyberkinetics received its first Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA in 2004 to begin human clinical trials for BrainGate, which initially enrolled patients with tetraplegia. The company went public in late 2004 through a reverse merger.
Despite initial media attention and some success in clinical trials, Cyberkinetics faced financial difficulties. The company incurred significant operating losses throughout its existence. In 2008, it sold its research products division, including neural recording arrays and data acquisition systems, to Blackrock Microsystems (now Blackrock Neurotech). By 2009, Cyberkinetics was winding down its operations. The BrainGate-related assets, including patents and intellectual property, were sold to the privately held Braingate, Inc., and the company itself was acquired by Blackrock Microsystems. The clinical trials for the technology, now named BrainGate2, have continued under the direction of academic institutions with federal and philanthropic funding.
Keywords: brain-computer interface, BCI, neurotechnology, BrainGate, paralysis treatment, neural interface, assistive technology, neuroprosthetics, Utah Array, spinal cord injury, ALS, neurorestoration, medical device, clinical trials, Blackrock Neurotech, John Donoghue, implantable sensor, neural signals