As of March 2026, approximately 100 people have received intracortical or cortical BCI implants across published clinical research programs. An additional 100+ participants have undergone intraoperative (temporary) cortical recordings through Precision Neuroscience. If you include commercial neural implants (deep brain stimulation, responsive neurostimulation), the total exceeds 200,000 people worldwide.
| Company | Device | Total Implanted | First Implant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision Neuroscience | Layer 7 Cortical Interface | 100 | Oct 2022 | ACTIVE |
| Blackrock Neurotech | Utah Array (NeuroPort Electrode) | 40 | Jun 2004 | ACTIVE |
| Neuralink | N1 Implant (Telepathy) | 21 | Jan 2024 | ACTIVE |
| BrainGate Consortium (Cyberkinetics) | Utah Array (96-electrode, BrainGate) | 15 | Jun 2004 | COMPLETED |
| Synchron | Stentrode | 10 | Apr 2019 | COMPLETED |
| ONWARD Medical | ARC-BCI System | 7 | Jun 2024 | ACTIVE |
| Second Sight / Vivani Medical | Orion Visual Cortical Prosthesis | 6 | Mar 2018 | SUSPENDED |
| Paradromics | Connexus Brain-Computer Interface | 1 | May 2025 | ACTIVE |
The ~100 figure above covers research-stage intracortical BCIs targeting motor control or communication restoration. The number grows significantly when including:
As of March 2026, approximately 100 humans have received intracortical or cortical BCI implants across clinical research programs. This includes 21 participants in Neuralink's PRIME study, 10 Synchron Stentrode patients (4 in Australia, 6 in the US), 14 BrainGate2 participants, 40+ Blackrock Neurotech Utah Array implants across various studies, 100+ Precision Neuroscience Layer 7 intraoperative participants, 7 ONWARD Medical ARC-BCI patients, 6 Second Sight Orion visual prosthesis patients, and 1 Paradromics first-in-human implant. Note: if you include commercial neuromodulation (DBS for Parkinson's, NeuroPace for epilepsy), the total exceeds 200,000.
As of early 2026, Neuralink has implanted 21 participants in its PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) feasibility study. The first patient was Noland Arbaugh, implanted on January 28, 2024. Patients are located across the US, Canada, UK, and UAE. Neuralink's PRIME study has a target enrollment of 30 participants. All 21 participants are actively using their devices.
The total number depends on how you define "BCI implant." For intracortical and cortical research BCIs specifically targeting motor control or communication: approximately 100 people as of 2026. For all neural implants including commercial deep brain stimulation (DBS) and responsive neurostimulation (RNS): more than 200,000 people worldwide. NeuroPace's RNS System alone has 8,000+ patients, and Medtronic DBS systems have been implanted in 200,000+ patients globally.
Among research-stage intracortical BCIs, Blackrock Neurotech has the most total implants with 40+ Utah Array procedures across multiple academic collaborations going back to 2004. Precision Neuroscience has reached 100+ participants in its multicenter trial, though many were intraoperative (temporary) placements. Among research programs with chronic (permanent) implants: Blackrock Neurotech (40+), BrainGate Consortium (15+), and Neuralink (21). In commercial neural implants, Medtronic leads with 200,000+ DBS patients globally.
As of early 2026, there are approximately 50+ active BCI-related clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. The largest active research programs include Neuralink PRIME (21/30 enrolled), BrainGate2 (14 total, ongoing), Precision Neuroscience PATTERN (100+ participants), ONWARD Medical ARC-BCI (7 participants), and Synchron COMMAND (6 participants, completed, pivotal trial preparing). Total enrollment across all BCI-specific research trials exceeds 200 participants.
The majority of BCI implants target motor restoration for paralysis. As of 2026: Neuralink PRIME has 21 participants with quadriplegia or ALS, Synchron's 10 Stentrode patients all had severe paralysis from ALS or spinal cord injury, BrainGate2's 14 participants included those with tetraplegia, ALS, and brainstem stroke, ONWARD Medical ARC-BCI has 7 spinal cord injury patients, and Blackrock Neurotech's 40+ implants were largely for paralysis research. In total, an estimated 80+ BCI implant participants had paralysis-related conditions as their primary indication.
No deaths have been attributed directly to BCI research implants. Matthew Nagle, the first BrainGate patient (2004), died in July 2007 from sepsis unrelated to the device. No serious adverse device events (SADEs) have been reported in Neuralink's PRIME study, Synchron's COMMAND trial, ONWARD Medical's ARC-BCI program, or Precision Neuroscience's PATTERN trial. BrainGate2 reported a low rate of adverse events including 2 infections (treated) and 3 cases of skin erosion over 14 participants spanning 17 years.
This data is compiled from ClinicalTrials.gov registry entries, FDA IDE and PMA databases, peer-reviewed publications in Nature, JAMA Neurology, and IEEE TNSRE, and verified company press releases. Where total implanted counts span multiple studies by the same company (e.g., Blackrock Neurotech's Utah Array), figures represent cumulative human implant procedures, not unique living recipients.
Numbers are updated as new clinical data becomes available. Commercial neural implants (DBS, RNS) are cited from publicly available company data and FDA post-market surveillance reports. Last verified: March 2026.