NEO Implantable Brain-Computer Interface by Neuracle: status and timeline

NEO Implantable Brain-Computer Interface

Wireless epidural BCI for cervical C2-C6 spinal cord injuries in patients 18-60. Decodes motor intent to restore hand grasp via pneumatic glove. First invasive BCI approved for commercial use.

DeployStage 4 of 5

NMPA Class III approved March 2026; first commercial implant July 2026.

Updated 13 Jul 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Patient follow-up and rehabilitation progress

Neuracle Technology founded2011Complete.
Clinical trials for NEO begin2023Complete.
36 patient implants completed in trialsMar 2026Complete.
NMPA Class III medical device registration granted13 Mar 2026Complete.
IPO filed on Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR BoardJun 2026Complete.
First commercial implant at Huashan Hospital13 Jul 2026Complete.
Patient follow-up and rehabilitation progressTarget Jul 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Jul 2026Patient follow-up and rehabilitation progress (next)
Oct 2026IPO on Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Board

Current obstacles

Long-term biocompatibilityElectrodes must remain stable for years in the brain; inflammation, scar tissue or immune responses can degrade signal quality over time.
User rehabilitation and adaptationPatients need months of training to teach the decoder to recognize their unique neural signals; reducing training time would speed clinical adoption.
Expanding to broader patient populationsCurrent approval is for cervical C2-C6 injuries; expanding to thoracic, lumbar or stroke patients requires additional clinical trials and regulatory approvals.

Physics limits

Epidural electrode signal qualityElectrodes on the brain surface capture weaker signals than deep-brain implants; this limits the number of degrees of freedom and the precision of motor control compared to deeper arrays.
Neural plasticity and signal driftThe brain's neural map changes over time, causing decoder performance to drift; periodic retraining is needed to maintain accuracy, which burdens long-term users.
Battery life and wireless rangeWireless implants are limited by battery capacity and transmission range; patients must periodically recharge the external receiver and stay within working range.

How it works

3 parts

Brain signal capture

Epidural electrodes decode motor cortex

Electrodes record motor cortex signals when the patient thinks about moving their hand.

Wireless transmission

Signal processing and wireless relay

The implant encodes signals and transmits them wirelessly. A decoder translates motor intent to device commands.

Assistive action

Pneumatic glove provides motor control

The decoded commands trigger a powered pneumatic glove to open and close, allowing the patient to grasp and manipulate objects through thought alone.

Spec sheet

Spec	NEO Implantable Brain-Computer Interface
Implant placement	Epidural (on brain surface, not deep tissue)^R (reported)
Power supply method	Wireless power and communication^R (reported)
Approved patient age range	18 to 60 years^R (reported)
Target spinal cord injury levels	C2-C6 cervical with retained upper arm function^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

3 updates

About Neuracle

The team behind NEO Implantable Brain-Computer Interface

Neuracle

Brain-computer interface, BCI, spinal cord injury, paralysis

Shanghai-based Neuracle develops invasive brain-computer interfaces for spinal cord injuries. NEO became the world's first implanted BCI cleared for commercial use (NMPA approval March 2026). The core team is from Tsinghua University; the company filed for IPO in June 2026.

NEO is the world's first invasive BCI cleared for commercial use (NMPA March 2026).
Wireless epidural implant for cervical spinal cord injuries; clinical trials completed with 36 implants.
First commercial implant at Shanghai's Huashan Hospital July 13, 2026; patient showed stable function.

neuracle.ai (opens neuracle.ai)Company profile →

Founded: 201115 yrs
Headquarters: China
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Last round: Series ENov 2025
Works in: NeurotechBrain implants
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 13 Jul 2026checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: Tian ZhengGreen Pine Capital PartnersSequoia Capital ChinaTsinghua Holdings Capital
Partners: Tsinghua University (opens tsinghua.edu.cn)Huashan Hospital (Fudan University) (opens huashan.org.cn)Shanghai Stock Exchange (opens sse.com.cn)
People: Xu HonglaiFounder

Spec

NEO Implantable Brain-Computer Interface

Implant placement

Epidural (on brain surface, not deep tissue)^R (reported)

Power supply method

Wireless power and communication^R (reported)

Approved patient age range

18 to 60 years^R (reported)

Target spinal cord injury levels

C2-C6 cervical with retained upper arm function^R (reported)

NEO Implantable Brain-Computer Interface

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Epidural electrodes decode motor cortex

Signal processing and wireless relay

Pneumatic glove provides motor control

Spec sheet

Update log

Mon 13 Jul

Fri 13 Mar

2023

About Neuracle

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Epidural electrodes decode motor cortex

Signal processing and wireless relay

Pneumatic glove provides motor control

Spec sheet

Update log

Mon 13 Jul

Fri 13 Mar

2023

About Neuracle