Synchron :: Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) That Translate Neural Activity Into Digital Commands

Synchron is a pioneering neurotechnology company founded in 2016 in Melbourne, Australia by neurologist Dr. Thomas Oxley and biomedical engineer Dr. Nicholas Opie. The company has since established its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, while maintaining significant research and development operations in Australia. Synchron’s mission is to restore functional independence and improve quality of life for people living with paralysis and neurological disorders by developing minimally invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCI) that translate neural activity into digital commands.

Unlike traditional BCIs that require invasive open-brain surgery with skull implants, Synchron’s flagship product, the Stentrode, is implanted endovascularly through the jugular vein using a catheter-based procedure similar to coronary stenting. This minimally invasive approach significantly reduces surgical risk while allowing the device to be placed in the motor cortex. The Stentrode is a self-expanding stent-like device embedded with electrodes that records high-fidelity neural signals directly from within a blood vessel. These signals are transmitted wirelessly to an external unit and then processed by Synchron’s proprietary BrainOS platform using advanced machine learning algorithms.

The company’s robot-based products and applications center on thought-controlled robotic systems. Using decoded brain signals, the platform enables individuals with severe paralysis — such as those affected by ALS, spinal cord injury, or stroke — to control robotic arms, powered wheelchairs, exoskeletons, and prosthetic limbs through thought alone. In clinical trials, patients have successfully used the system to perform complex tasks including grasping objects with a robotic arm, drinking from a cup, typing, browsing the internet, playing games, and operating smart home devices. The technology supports both discrete selections and continuous control, with ongoing improvements in speed, accuracy, and intuitiveness through personalized AI calibration and expanding training datasets.

Synchron’s technology represents a major advancement at the intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and robotics. By creating a direct “brain-to-robot” interface that bypasses damaged neural pathways, the system allows users to regain meaningful interaction with the physical world. The company is actively expanding its platform toward higher-resolution signal decoding, multi-degree-of-freedom robotic control, speech synthesis, and integration with next-generation assistive robotics. Synchron has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and is conducting the COMMAND trial in the United States following successful first-in-human implants in Australia. The company has raised substantial funding from prominent investors including Khosla Ventures, Gates Frontier, and others, and has formed research partnerships with leading medical institutions.

As of 2026, Synchron continues to scale clinical trials, refine its AI algorithms for more natural robotic control, and move toward broader commercialization. Their minimally invasive endovascular approach distinguishes them from competitors requiring more invasive implants. By enabling thought-driven interaction with robotic systems, Synchron is not only transforming assistive technology for people with disabilities but also laying groundwork for future human-robot collaboration and neuroprosthetic applications. The company stands at the forefront of the rapidly evolving brain-computer interface field, demonstrating how neural interfaces can seamlessly integrate humans with intelligent robotic systems.