In 1964, a Spanish scientist demonstrated that he could stop a bull's charge by sending radio signals to an electronic, brain-implanted device, helping lay the foundations for brain-computer interfaces.

One of the earliest brain-computer interfaces was the cochlear implant, designed to treat hearing loss by capturing sound and converting it into electrical stimulation patterns.

Brain implants are restoring movement and communication in early human trials

Brain-reading devices that use electrode arrays to decode neural signals are helping paralyzed people control prosthetics that restore a sense of touch.

Discover how brain-computer interfaces create a direct link between the brain and external devices in this 1440 Originals video.

Experimental minimally invasive brain-computer interfaces may eventually help people with severe paralysis take actions like clicking a mouse with their thoughts and may be implanted via blood vessels.

Neural interfaces offer major medical potential but raise serious ethical concerns, including how to ensure the long-term maintenance of the devices if companies go out of business.

In August 2025, brain-computer interface company Synchron released a video of an ALS patient in its clinical trial controlling an iPad using only his thoughts.

Watch a demo of how a patient with ALS was able to operate his iPad using a brain-computer interface two years after it was implanted.

Brain implants from companies such as Neuralink, Blackrock Neurotech, and Synchron must have their decoders regularly recalibrated because each person's brain activity patterns shift over time.

Neuralink brain implants have enabled a paralyzed person to play video games

China was the first country to approve a brain chip to treat a disability: a skull-embedded device called NEO that translates thoughts into robotic hand movements for people with paralysis.

Mind-controlled bionic arms use nerve implants to restore sensation and movement

Elon Musk's Neuralink's N1 chip can wirelessly read brain signals from over 2,000 electrodes

Brain-wave-reading earbuds with implanted electrodes have been used by some companies, primarily in China, to study workplace performance.

Deep brain stimulation helps manage movement in patients with neurological disorders

Using brain implants to restore vision

Neuroscientists have found no brain signal that clearly marks when someone decides to act, which means implants may misinterpret fleeting thoughts as intention—creating ethical complications around imagination.

The benefits of deep brain stimulation for treating substance use disorders remain uncertain amid inconsistent results for this surgical implant intervention.

Scientists have recorded neural rhythms as mice perform actions and observed those same rhythms replaying during sleep—witnessing loops that support memory formation and provide insights for brain-computer interfaces.

Predictive brain implants raise ethical concerns about patient autonomy after surgery since their constant monitoring and forecasting functions may blur the line between patient choice and device influence.

See how a novel neurological procedure that employs artificial intelligence restored a woman's speech almost 20 years after a stroke.

In 2024, Colorado became the first state to legally protect neural data generated by a person's brain waves—requiring businesses to obtain consent before processing central or peripheral nervous system information.

The world's first commercial biological computer combines neurons with silicon

The Cybathlon is an international competition for assistive technology that pits teams against each other, using brain-computer interfaces and prosthetics to promote the independence of people with disabilities.

Brain implants can help colorblind people hear colors—sending a signal to a brain chip that plays an associated sound.

Interface device implanted into ALS patients restored some of their abilities

The history of brainwashing in America

Losing a brain-computer interface can trigger lasting psychological distress and a sense of personal loss.

Brain activity sometimes goes into overdrive around the point of death according to researchers' recent analysis of patients' brains before and after they were taken off their ventilators.

Brain death is a uniquely modern problem stemming from modern ventilators.

An experimental bionic knee has been directly integrated into the user's muscle and bone—not an external socket—marking a significant prosthetic advancement.

Anesthesia was routinely withheld from babies undergoing surgery in the 1980s because clinicians believed they were not conscious.

The 'Armamentarium' is a set of new gene therapy tools—including viruses that could shuttle therapies into the body—designed to fight brain diseases.

In 1898, Nikola Tesla wowed a crowd by controlling a boat with no visible connection

The body's response to cardiac arrest has been linked to near-death experiences.

Researchers use the brain's ability to edit memories to explore memory deletion

Scientists are learning to guide your dreams using sound and touch.

Pig brain cellular activity was restarted hours after death in study published in 2019

In 1968, a Harvard Medical School committee issued the first neurological definition of death

Hacking the body for a future that didn't happen

Biohacking: The effort to optimize health and extend life through technology

Research suggests the brain maintains connections to lost limbs

The dreaming brain, as understood by scientists

See how a brain scientist responded to her own stroke in 1996 and how it affected her research directions.

Explore an interactive 3D model of the brain to better understand the nerve center of the human body.

Implanted neurotechnology can leave users vulnerable when manufacturers go under

Listen to how bionic limbs are reshaping what it means to live as an amputee in this award-winning 2022 podcast series covering the stories of two amputees who struggled with shortcomings in prosthetic technology.

Scientific breakthroughs funded by NASA, the NSF, and the NIH include GPS, sign language, bladeless LASIK surgery, and quantum dots—tiny semiconductor crystals used in many modern televisions.

My experience with biohacking

There's a new (contested) physiological explanation for near-death experiences based on analysis of the brains of resuscitated coma and cardiac arrest patients.