Implanted BCI (Ultra-flexible Electrodes) by StairMed: status and timeline

Implanted BCI (Ultra-flexible Electrodes)

A minimally invasive implantable brain-machine interface using ultra-flexible electrodes for motor control and sensory feedback. Implants require only 3-5 mm skull perforations and placement 5-8 mm deep in the brain.

PilotStage 3 of 5

Three clinical implants completed (2025); 40-patient multi-centre trial planned for 2026.

Updated Apr 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Multi-centre registration clinical trial with 40 patient target

StairMed foundedAug 2021Complete.
First China prospective clinical trial for invasive BMI completed2025Complete.
Three successful implants performed2025Complete.
Quadruple amputee plays racing game with brain signals2025Complete.
NMPA Green Channel access for Innovative Medical Devices granted2025Complete.
Multi-centre registration clinical trial with 40 patient targetTarget 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2026Multi-centre registration clinical trial with 40 patient target (next)
2027NMPA approval pathway

Current obstacles

Manufacturing scale-upMoving from 3 to 40+ implants requires reliable manufacturing of ultra-flexible electrode arrays and implant components.
Long-term signal stabilityElectrodes must maintain recording quality over months and years; inflammation, scar tissue formation and electrode drift can degrade performance.
Surgical technique and trainingSafe and consistent implantation of a minimally invasive device requires specialised surgical techniques and widespread surgeon training.

Physics limits

Sampling volume limited by implant sizeA single implant can record from only a small region of cortex; more complex decoding may require multiple implants or accepting lower signal complexity.
Wireless power and communication rangeImplanted devices need wireless charging and data transmission, which introduces latency and bandwidth constraints compared to wired systems.

How it works

3 parts

Ultra-flexible electrodes

Nano-scale recording electrodes

1% hair width, hundreds of times softer. Minimises inflammation and foreign-body reactions.

Minimally invasive placement

Small craniotomy approach

A 3-5 mm skull opening allows the implant to be placed 5-8 mm deep in motor or sensory cortex. The small footprint reduces damage to brain tissue.

Signal decoding

Neural signal processing

Neural signals from the implanted electrodes are decoded by software algorithms to detect user intent and control external devices or generate digital outputs.

Spec sheet

Spec	Implanted BCI (Ultra-flexible Electrodes)
Implant diameter	26 mm^R (reported)
Implant thickness	Less than 6 mm^R (reported)
Skull perforation size required	3-5 mm^R (reported)
Electrode placement depth	5-8 mm^R (reported)
Electrode width (relative)	1% of human hair width^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

4 updates

About StairMed

The team behind Implanted BCI (Ultra-flexible Electrodes)

StairMed

Ultra-flexible BCI, implantable brain-machine interface

StairMed develops minimally invasive implantable BCIs with ultra-flexible electrodes. Founded 2021 in Shanghai; raised 860M+ yuan since 2025 from Alibaba, Tencent, OrbiMed. Targeting 40-patient trials in 2026.

First China prospective BMI trial completed (2025); three implants.
Raised 860M+ yuan: 350M from Series B (Feb 2025), 500M Alibaba round (Apr 2026).
Ultra-flexible electrodes 1% human hair width; 1/5 Neuralink's size. 3-5mm skull access needed.

stairmed.com (opens stairmed.com)Company profile →

Founded: 20215 yrs
Headquarters: China
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $121M2 rounds
Last round: Strategic financing · $73MApr 2026
Works in: NeurotechBrain implants
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 1 Apr 2026checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: AlibabaQiming Venture PartnersOrbiMedLilly Asia Ventures
Investors: Alibaba (opens alibaba.com)Tencent (opens tencent.com)

Spec

Implanted BCI (Ultra-flexible Electrodes)

Implant diameter

26 mm^R (reported)

Implant thickness

Less than 6 mm^R (reported)

Skull perforation size required

3-5 mm^R (reported)

Electrode placement depth

5-8 mm^R (reported)

Electrode width (relative)

1% of human hair width^R (reported)

Implanted BCI (Ultra-flexible Electrodes)

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Nano-scale recording electrodes

Small craniotomy approach

Neural signal processing

Spec sheet

Update log

Apr 2026

Jun 2025

May 2025

Mon 10 Feb 2025

About StairMed

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Nano-scale recording electrodes

Small craniotomy approach

Neural signal processing

Spec sheet

Update log

Apr 2026

Jun 2025

May 2025

Mon 10 Feb 2025

About StairMed