The brain-computer interface field spans over a century, from Hans Berger's first human EEG recording in 1924 to Neuralink's 21-patient clinical trial in 2026. This timeline documents every major milestone: the foundational neuroscience discoveries, the first implanted electrodes, the development of multi-electrode arrays, the launch of BrainGate human trials, the founding of Neuralink and Synchron, FDA regulatory breakthroughs, and the current era of commercial-scale human BCI trials. Each entry is sourced from peer-reviewed publications, FDA records, and verified company disclosures.
YEARS COVERED
102
1924-2026
KEY MILESTONES
26+
Foundational to current
FIRST HUMAN EEG
1924
Hans Berger, Germany
FIRST BCI IMPLANT
1998
Kennedy & Bakay
FIRST BRAINGATE
2004
Matthew Nagle
NEURALINK FIRST HUMAN
2024
Noland Arbaugh
Foundation
Implant
Non-invasive
Hardware
Clinical
Industry
Regulatory
Complete BCI Timeline
1924
Hans Berger records the first human electroencephalogram (EEG) in Jena, Germany, proving electrical brain activity can be measured from the scalp.
FOUNDATION
1957
John Eccles wins Nobel Prize for research on synaptic transmission, establishing the ionic mechanisms underlying single-neuron signaling.
FOUNDATION
1969
Eberhard Fetz demonstrates operant conditioning of single-neuron firing rates in monkeys at the University of Washington, showing that individual neurons can be volitionally controlled.
FOUNDATION
1973
Jacques Vidal at UCLA coins the term "brain-computer interface" and demonstrates that visual evoked potentials can control a cursor, establishing BCI as a research field.
FOUNDATION
1978
William Dobelle implants the first visual cortex prosthesis in a blind patient, stimulating phosphene perception through an electrode array — the first BCI sensory prosthetic.
IMPLANT
1988
Farwell and Donchin demonstrate the P300 speller, using EEG event-related potentials to allow letter selection by attention alone. First practical BCI for communication.
NON-INVASIVE
1998
Philip Kennedy and Roy Bakay implant the first long-term intracortical BCI electrode in a locked-in ALS patient (Johnny Ray), who learns to move a cursor with thought.
IMPLANT
1998
The Utah microelectrode array (Blackrock Neurotech) is developed by Richard Normann at the University of Utah, becoming the standard intracortical BCI electrode for two decades.
HARDWARE
2004
BrainGate pilot trial begins: Matthew Nagle receives a 96-electrode Utah array at Rhode Island Hospital, becoming the first person to control a computer cursor and TV with an intracortical BCI.
CLINICAL
2006
BrainGate demonstrates robotic arm control: paralyzed patient uses intracortical BCI to reach for and grasp objects with a robotic limb in a laboratory setting.
CLINICAL
2011
BrainGate2 trial launches at Brown University and Massachusetts General Hospital with improved 96-channel wireless recording capabilities.
CLINICAL
2012
Jan Scheuermann, a patient with spinocerebellar degeneration, uses two 96-electrode Utah arrays to control a robotic arm with 7 degrees of freedom, feeding herself chocolate for the first time in years.
CLINICAL
2014
Julien Graca kickstarts the non-invasive BCI market: commercial EEG headsets from Emotiv and NeuroSky reach consumer markets for gaming and neurofeedback applications.
NON-INVASIVE
2016
Elon Musk co-founds Neuralink with the mission to develop a high-bandwidth, implantable BCI for human use. Initial team includes leading neuroscientists and engineers.
INDUSTRY
2017
Facebook (now Meta) announces its Building 8 BCI project, targeting non-invasive speech decoding at 100 words per minute. Project later pivots to wrist-based EMG (acquired CTRL-labs).
INDUSTRY
2019
Synchron implants the first Stentrode in a human patient in Melbourne, Australia — the first endovascular BCI, delivered through a blood vessel with no brain surgery.
IMPLANT
2019
Neuralink unveils its first prototype: a chip with 3,072 electrodes across 96 threads, and the R1 surgical robot for automated electrode insertion. Demonstrated in pigs.
HARDWARE
2020
Synchron receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for the Stentrode, the first BCI to receive this classification. Neuralink demonstrates a pig named Gertrude with a working N1 prototype.
REGULATORY
2021
Neuralink demonstrates a monkey (Pager) playing Pong with a brain implant using decoded neural signals for cursor control. Synchron completes its Australian SWITCH trial (4 patients, no serious adverse events).
CLINICAL
2022
Synchron implants first US patient at Mount Sinai, New York. Philip O'Keefe posts the first thought-controlled social media message using a Stentrode. Precision Neuroscience founded with a thin-film ECoG approach.
CLINICAL
2023
Neuralink receives FDA IDE approval for the PRIME human feasibility study (May). Precision Neuroscience demonstrates its Layer 7 array in acute intraoperative sessions, recording from up to 4,096 electrodes.
REGULATORY
2024
Neuralink implants first human patient Noland Arbaugh on January 28. He controls a computer cursor, plays video games, and browses the web within weeks. Second patient Alex implanted mid-2024 with rapid computer control.
CLINICAL
2024
Synchron publishes positive 12-month COMMAND trial results: 100% deployment accuracy, zero neurologic serious adverse events across 6 US patients. Patient controls Apple Vision Pro with thought.
CLINICAL
2024
Neuralink receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for Blindsight, a visual prosthesis for blind patients using cortical stimulation (September).
REGULATORY
2025
Neuralink raises $650M Series E at $9B valuation — the largest BCI funding round in history. Implants reach 21 patients globally including 7 in the UK. Automated surgery planned for 2026.
INDUSTRY
2025
Synchron raises $200M Series D, bringing total funding to $345M. Pivotal trial preparation underway. BCI-controlled Apple Vision Pro integration demonstrated with multiple patients.
INDUSTRY
2026
Neuralink targets high-volume automated surgery and expanded PRIME trial. Synchron preparing pivotal FDA trial. Precision Neuroscience advancing toward chronic implant studies. Global BCI patient count exceeds 40.
CURRENT
BOTTOM LINE // WHERE WE ARE NOW
A Century of Progress, Accelerating Exponentially
It took 80 years from the first EEG to the first intracortical BCI human trial (1924-2004). It took just 20 more years to go from a single patient with a percutaneous wire to 21+ patients with wireless, high-bandwidth implants across multiple countries. The pace of BCI development is accelerating dramatically, driven by advances in materials science, surgical robotics, machine learning decoding, and billions of dollars in private investment.
2026 marks the transition from feasibility studies to commercial-scale trials. The next five years will likely see more BCI progress than the previous fifty.
Frequently Asked Questions
SOURCES & METHODOLOGY
Timeline data sourced from peer-reviewed publications in Nature, Science, JAMA Neurology, and Journal of Neural Engineering; FDA databases; ClinicalTrials.gov; verified company press releases; and the BCI Society historical archives. Last verified: March 2026.