On the heels of Elon Musk’s Neuralink, Synchron has become the first company to merge neurotechnology with consumer electronics, revealing the world’s first public demonstration of an iPad controlled purely by thought.
Last May, Synchron announced its collaboration with Apple, joining the growing list of companies working on both invasive and non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies. In partnership, the two unveiled a new brain-computer interface human interface device (BCI HID) protocol designed to integrate with Apple products.
Backed by Gates Frontier (Bill Gates) and Bezos Expeditions (Jeff Bezos) through a Series C investment round—and originally supported by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other Department of Defense entities—Synchron was officially founded in 2016 (although its website states it has been in development of its technologies since as early as 2012) by Synchron CEO Tom Oxley and Rahul Sharma, its Co-Founder and Medical Director. The pair secured early research grants from DARPA to help launch their visionary BCI technologies.
A video released on YouTube showcases “Mark”, a participant in Synchron’s COMMAND clinical trial and a person living with ALS, operating an iPad using only his thoughts. The footage captures Mark seamlessly navigating the home screen, opening apps, and composing messages—no external physical input required—thanks to Synchron’s Stentrode, a device implanted in the brain’s blood vessels.
“This is the first time the world has seen native, thought-driven control of an Apple device in action,” said Dr. Tom Oxley, CEO and Founder, Synchron. “Mark’s experience is a technical breakthrough, and a glimpse into the future of human-computer interaction, where cognitive input becomes a mainstream mode of control.”
The system works by integrating Apple’s accessibility feature, Switch Control, with Synchron’s Stentrode, which detects motor intentions—essentially, thoughts—directly from the brain. These signals are wirelessly transmitted to an external decoder that communicates with Apple’s iPadOS using the new HID protocol.
For the first time, an Apple operating system can treat brain signals as native inputs, just like touch or voice. The iPad even shares real-time, contextual screen data with the BCI system, optimizing neural input precision through closed-loop feedback.
“When I lost the use of my hands, I thought I had lost my independence,” said Mark. “Now, with my iPad, I can message my loved ones, read the news, and stay connected with the world, just by thinking. It’s given me part of my life back.”
This milestone isn’t just a technological marvel—it could fundamentally reshape how human beings interact with machines. Synchron’s approach, which avoids open-brain surgery unlike Neuralink’s, positions it as one of the most accessible BCI options in development, offering promising real-world applications.
“Synchron’s brain-computer interface (BCI) device, also known as the Stentrode, is a minimally invasive device that detects brain signals related to movement intention,” said Kimberly Ha, Communications Lead at Synchron, in a 2024 email to The Debrief. “Once implanted in a blood vessel near the motor cortex, it translates these neural signals into digital commands.”
Synchron is currently rolling out the BCI HID system to clinical participants, with broader deployment plans on the horizon.
Ownership of BCI Data and Emerging Policy Questions
With fewer than 100 people worldwide currently implanted with BCIs, the legal and ethical frameworks surrounding the technology remain in their infancy. However, as consumer-facing tech brands enter the field, policy discussions around consent, privacy, and cognitive rights are becoming increasingly urgent.
In a recent interview, Nolan Arbaugh, the first human implanted with a Neuralink device, shared his thoughts on these issues during a podcast conversation with The Debrief. He emphasized that brain data isn’t just personal—it’s part of one’s identity and consciousness.
“I think it is a very personal device,” Arbaugh told The Debrief. “We’re talking about yourself, your personality in a lot of ways.”
“That’s one thing that I think I’d be very passionate about is who the data belongs to, who’s allowed to collect data and what consent looks like,” Arbaugh added, expressing his view that “there needs to be [a] big conversation about who the neural data belongs to.”
Legal experts agree that oversight of such intimate technologies will require more than just the FDA.
“While the FDA plays a critical role in ensuring safety and efficacy, it is not equipped to address the full spectrum of concerns raised by brain-computer interfaces, particularly those involving privacy, cognitive liberty, discrimination, and ethical use,” Daryl Lim, the H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at Penn State University’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), told The Debrief in July.
“Effective oversight would require a consortium of agencies, including the FDA, FTC, HHS, NIST, and civil rights offices, linked through a central coordinating body capable of integrating perspectives from health care, technology, ethics, and civil liberties.”
As brain-computer interfaces edge closer to mainstream adoption, society is increasingly presented with critical questions over our readiness for the arrival of technologies that connect the human mind with machines, how they will impact our lives, and what the broader implications will ultimately be.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com.