"The experience of controlling the computer with my thoughts, moving the cursor on the screen and playing games was absolutely amazing... I felt like I had superpowers," American Jason Knight told the British Financial Times , about his experience of controlling the computer through his brain's neural signals.
Knight had brain cancer, then underwent surgery to implant an experimental device in his brain that enabled him - within a few days - to achieve what humanity had thought was science fiction a few decades earlier.
This technology is still in its early stages, but it is attracting billions of dollars from investors, with the hope of using it to restore speech and movement to people who have lost them due to injuries or neurological diseases.
According to the financial company "PitchBook," companies working in the field of brain-computer interfaces raised more than $1 billion during 2026 alone, compared to about $1.56 billion during the previous four years combined.
Neuralink, founded by American billionaire Elon Musk , leads the sector in terms of funding, having raised more than $1.3 billion across seven investment rounds. Companies in Washington benefit from abundant funding and a flexible regulatory environment, overseen and supported by the Food and Drug Administration.
Beijing, for its part, designated brain-computer interfaces a national strategic sector last year, and set itself the goal of creating two or three "world-class" companies by 2030.
The report continues, noting that several Chinese regions have launched investment funds to support startups and hospitals conducting clinical trials, and private investors have followed suit, with their investments reaching about $1 billion during the first half of 2026, spread across 60 investment deals.
Europe possesses a competitive advantage in precision engineering, manufacturing, and neuroscience, but faces challenges related to delayed funding and regulatory oversight. The newspaper notes that specialized companies are concentrated in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Tags:
technology
