Brain–machine interfaces are moving from the lab into real clinical use, with competing approaches racing to prove they can read and even “write” to the brain safely and reliably. One of the most active fronts is minimally invasive cortical implants: Precision Neuroscience, founded by former Neuralink researchers, recently detailed progress on its ultra-thin Layer 7 array, designed to rest on the brain’s surface and decode intended movement and speech while limiting tissue damage, with FDA clearance for up to 30-day implants and work on a large “neural foundation model” [1].
In parallel, speech neuroprostheses are showing near real-time performance that was science fiction just a few years ago. Recent reporting highlights systems that convert neural activity into audible words with delays approaching one second and around 47 words per minute, giving people with paralysis more natural, conversational communication rather than letter-by-letter typing [2].
Non-invasive “writing” to the brain is also advancing. Low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) has demonstrated the ability to modulate deep structures such as the amygdala with spatial precision beyond traditional stimulation, opening a path to targeted, wireless neuromodulation through a wearable “cap” rather than surgery. Early clinical and preclinical results underscore both the promise and the need for rigorous safety and dosing studies before routine use [3].
Together, these threads point to a near-term future where invasive, minimally invasive, and fully non-invasive systems coexist—each suited to different use-cases—while AI models trained on massive neural datasets dramatically upgrade what we can decode and how precisely we can intervene.
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- Business Insider — Precision Neuroscience’s Layer 7 cortical interface, FDA 30-day clearance, and neural foundation model (Aug 2025)
- Financial Times — The race to turn brainwaves into fluent speech; near real-time speech BCIs (May 2025)
- Nature (Molecular Psychiatry) — Low-intensity tFUS targeting the amygdala for neuromodulation (2025)
