Brain-computer interfaces · speech neuroprostheses · weekly
The brain is learning to speak through machines. Here is how.
neuraspeak explains brain-computer interfaces: the implants that decode speech, the companies building them, the terms in every paper, and a sourced digest of each week's news.
Latest digest
This week in BCI: Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2026Decoding was the theme this week: a Nature Neuroscience study mapped how imagined and spoken speech are organized in cortex, and Neuralink reported that pretraining on 50,000 hours of unlabeled neural data sharply reduced recalibration. Consumer EEG headphones and a legal analysis of state neural-data laws showed the field's commercial and regulatory sides catching up.
- · Nature Neuroscience study maps shared and separate codes for imagined and spoken speech
- · Neuralink says self-supervised pretraining on 50,000 hours of data cuts decoder recalibration
- · Neurable launches Neurable One EEG headphones
- · Cooley analysis maps the patchwork of US state neural-data laws
Explainers
All explainersExplainer
How Does a BCI Implant Get FDA Approval?
Implanted BCIs reach US patients via an IDE, early feasibility and pivotal trials, then PMA or De Novo. What each step means and which companies hold what.
Explainer
How Does a Speech Neuroprosthesis Work?
A speech neuroprosthesis records the brain's speech motor signals and uses AI decoders to turn attempted speech into text or a synthesized voice.
Explainer
How Fast Can a Brain-Computer Interface Decode Speech?
Speech BCIs went from 15 words per minute in 2021 to 62–78 wpm in 2023 and near-real-time voice in 2025. Here are the verified benchmarks.
Explainer
Invasive vs Non-Invasive BCI: What Each Can and Cannot Do
Implanted BCIs have restored fast, large-vocabulary speech in trials. Non-invasive EEG, MEG and fMRI avoid surgery but decode far less. A neutral comparison.
Explainer
What Does a BCI Clinical Trial Participant Actually Do?
BCI trial participants undergo brain surgery, then spend months in calibration sessions, sometimes use the device at home, and face hard end-of-study choices.
Comparisons
All comparisonsComparison
Open-Brain Implant or Stent? Choosing Between Invasive and Endovascular BCIs
Open-skull BCIs decode speech; stent-based BCIs avoid brain surgery but so far deliver clicks, not words. A plain comparison of evidence, risk and readiness.
Comparison
Neuralink vs Paradromics: What Each Speech BCI Has Shown So Far
Neuralink and Paradromics both use penetrating electrodes and both run speech trials. What each has shown as of fall 2026, and what neither has published.
Comparison
Neuralink vs Precision Neuroscience: Penetrate the Brain or Rest on It?
Neuralink inserts threads into the cortex; Precision's Layer 7 film rests on the surface and is FDA cleared for 30 days. How the two compare for speech BCIs.
Comparison
Neuralink vs Synchron: How the Two Brain Implant Approaches Differ
Neuralink records single neurons through open-skull threads; Synchron's Stentrode sits in a vein. How they compare on speech, safety and readiness in 2026.
Comparison
Speech BCI or Eye-Gaze Device: Which Is Right for ALS and Locked-In Syndrome?
Eye-gaze AAC devices are available and covered by Medicare today; speech BCIs are faster but experimental. How to weigh them for ALS and locked-in syndrome.
Comparison
Utah Array vs ECoG: How They Differ for Speech Decoding
Penetrating Utah arrays and surface ECoG grids both power leading speech BCIs. How they compare on accuracy, speed, coverage and durability as of 2026.
Companies
All companiesinvasive
Blackrock Neurotech
Blackrock Neurotech makes the Utah array and related recording hardware used in most published human intracortical BCI studies, including leading speech neuroprostheses.
non-invasive
Cognixion
Cognixion builds non-invasive EEG headsets that combine brain signals, eye tracking and augmented reality for assistive communication.
minimally invasive
INBRAIN Neuroelectronics
INBRAIN Neuroelectronics builds graphene-based brain interfaces that both record and stimulate, starting with Parkinson's disease therapy.
non-invasive
Merge Labs
Merge Labs is a research lab developing non-implanted brain-computer interfaces that use engineered molecules and ultrasound instead of electrodes.
non-invasive
Neurable
Neurable builds EEG sensors and software into consumer headphones to track focus and mental fatigue.
invasive
Neuralink
Neuralink builds a fully implanted, wireless intracortical brain-computer interface and the surgical robot that places it.