What is Percutaneous?

Referring to a connection or device component that passes through the skin, such as the wired pedestal connector on the Utah Array that exits the skull to connect to external recording equipment.

What category does Percutaneous belong to in BCI?

Percutaneous is a Implant Types concept in brain-computer interface science.

Percutaneous — BCI Glossary

In neural interface engineering, "percutaneous" describes a physical connection that traverses the skin barrier — most commonly the titanium pedestal (CerePort) on the Utah Array system that protrudes through the skull and scalp to provide a wired electrical connection between implanted electrodes and external recording equipment. While percutaneous connectors enable high-bandwidth data transfer, they introduce chronic infection risk and are a major barrier to clinical adoption of wired BCI systems.

The Utah Array Percutaneous Connector

The Blackrock Neurotech CerePort is the best-known percutaneous connector in BCI. It consists of a titanium pedestal that is cemented into the skull and passes through the scalp. Gold wire bonds connect the pedestal to the Utah Array below the skull. External cables plug into the exposed pedestal to transfer neural signals to benchtop amplifiers and processing computers. This system has supported all major BrainGate clinical studies since 2004.

Advantages

Percutaneous connections provide several benefits:

Unlimited bandwidth: Wired connections can carry thousands of channels at full sampling rate with no data compression or wireless power constraints
No implanted electronics: The amplifier, ADC, and processor are external, simplifying the implanted device and reducing implant size
Established reliability: The CerePort has a multi-decade track record in human studies

Limitations

The primary limitation is infection risk. A permanent breach in the skin barrier creates a pathway for bacteria to reach the implant site and potentially the brain. Participants in BrainGate studies require ongoing wound care and monitoring. The visible pedestal is also cosmetically unacceptable for broad clinical deployment — users cannot swim, must protect the site, and the device is visible to others.

Transition to Wireless

The BCI field is decisively moving away from percutaneous connections toward fully implanted wireless systems. Neuralink's N1 eliminates the pedestal entirely — all electronics, including amplification, digitization, and wireless transmission, are contained within a hermetically sealed implant that sits flush with the skull. This transition from percutaneous to wireless is considered essential for BCIs to move from research settings to everyday clinical use.