Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, Neuralink, may soon have a new competitor in the market.
Neurotechnology startup Precision Neuroscience has earned FDA clearance for a core component of its brain implant system, according to an April 17 report from CNBC.
The company, which launched four years ago, is building a brain-computer system that aims to restore speech and movement in patients with paralysis.
Just one part of Precision’s implant system was approved on April 17, according to the report. The FDA approved part, the Layer 7 cortical interface, is made up of 1,024 electrodes that control activity on the brain’s surface.
With the new authorization, Layer 7 can be implanted in patients for up to 30 days. It has been temporarily implanted in 37 patients so far. However, the time limit then was for only just for a matter of minutes or hours, or for patients already undergoing brain surgery.
Competitor Neuralink was first implanted in a man who suffered a spinal cord injury after a diving accident in January 2024.
It has now been implanted in three patients, with plans for 20 to 30 more people this year.
