Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine join BrainGate consortium; launch BrainGate3 home-use feasibility study

BrainGate consortium

Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine became the sixth major research site in the BrainGate consortium, the first in Texas. The institutions launched an early feasibility study recruiting six participants with tetraplegia to test the investigational BrainGate3 system at home for at least one year, focusing on decoding cortical signals to control robotic assistive devices for eating and drinking.

• Rice and Baylor join a consortium previously led from Massachusetts General Hospital, Brown, Stanford, Case Western, Emory, and UC Davis.
• BrainGate3 is designed for at-home use, moving beyond laboratory settings.
• Study targets six participants with tetraplegia from spinal cord injury, brainstem stroke, or other causes.
• Focus on practical daily tasks: feeding independently with robotic arms (picking up food, bringing to mouth).