Neuralink rival Synchron's brain implant now lets people control Apple's Vision Pro with their minds

Neurotech startup Synchron on Tuesday announced it has connected its brain implant to Apple's Vision Pro headset. It's now possible for patients with limited physical mobility to control the device using only their thoughts. 

Synchron is building a brain-computer interface, or a BCI, designed to help patients with paralysis operate technology like smartphones and computers with their minds. The company has implanted its BCI in six patients in the U.S. and four in Australia. It still needs approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to commercialize its technology more broadly.

Apple released the Vision Pro earlier this year, and users typically control it with eye movements, voice commands and hand gestures. Synchron has been working to make it accessible to patients who can't speak or move their upper limbs. 

Synchron CEO Thomas Oxley said he thinks Apple's iOS accessibility platform is best in class, which is why the company has initially focused on helping patients control devices within Apple's ecosystem. He said Synchron will likely work to connect its BCI to other headsets, but it's starting with the Vision Pro.

Apple has been "very supportive" of the Vision Pro integration, he added. 

"I think BCI is very well placed to add huge value as a synergistic integration into the Apple ecosystem," Oxley told CNBC in an interview. 

Synchron is a part of an increasingly competitive BCI industry, and the company said Tuesday that it is the first to connect its system to Apple's Vision Pro. Other companies like Paradromics, Precision Neuroscience, Blackrock Neurotech and Elon Musk's Neuralink are also developing BCI systems, though their designs and ambitions all vary.

Synchron's BCI is inserted through a patient's jugular vein, so no open brain surgery is required. It's delivered to the blood vessel that rests on the surface of the brain's motor cortex. The stent-like device is connected to an antenna that sits under the skin in the chest. The antenna collects raw brain data and sends it to external devices.

Apple did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Synchron said a 64-year-old patient named Mark has been pioneering the company's work with the Vision Pro headset. 

Mark, who asked CNBC not to use his last name for privacy reasons, was implanted with Synchron's BCI in August 2023. He has a degenerative disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which causes patients to gradually lose control of their muscles.

Since his diagnosis in January 2021, Mark has lost function in his shoulders, arms and hands, but he can still speak and walk short distances.

Mark meets with Synchron for two hours, twice a week to practice different skills and functions with his BCI. He said he's been testing the Vision Pro intermittently since April, and he's able to use it to send texts, play Solitaire and watch TV. 

He said using his BCI to control the headset is not much different from using it to control his iPhone, iPad and computer. Some applications within the headset are more limiting and challenging than others, and he's still experimenting with new ways to use it.  

"It's just another avenue for me to be able to experience some independence," Mark told CNBC in an interview.

For instance, Mark said he can't lift his arms to paint anymore, so he's learning how to use the Vision Pro to create art. He's also enjoyed using an app that lets him look at constellations in the sky, he said. 

Mark is beginning to lose some strength in his neck, but he said he finds the headset easy to wear. He can use it for two hours without getting tired, adding he doesn't experience motion sickness. 

"It's actually pretty amazing," Mark said. 

Synchron is preparing for a larger-scale clinical study with more patients, and Mark said he hopes his work with the headset improves the experience for other people.

Oxley said the integration with the Vision Pro shows how BCIs can help paralyzed patients engage with consumer technologies.

"This is the beginning of a new therapeutic option to restore the ability to engage with digital technology that we take for granted," Oxley said. "That's what this represents."