| Logo placeholder |
| Founded |
2008 |
| Headquarters |
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
| CEO |
Marcus Gerhardt |
| Founders |
Friedrich Sommer, Peter Jung |
| Employees |
50-100 |
| Website |
[blackrockneurotech.com](https://blackrockneurotech.com) |
Blackrock Neurotech is a pioneering neurotechnology company specializing in implantable brain-computer interfaces. Founded in 2008, the company has the longest track record of any BCI company in human clinical use, with patients using their Utah Array for more than a decade. Blackrock's technology has been instrumental in advancing the field of neural interfaces, with their devices being used in more published BCI research than any other system worldwide.
¶ History and Development
¶ Founding and Early Research (2008-2012)
Blackrock Neurotech was founded based on research conducted at the University of Utah's Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. The company's flagship Utah Array technology traces its origins to research begun in the 1990s. The company was established to commercialize the Utah Array for broader research and clinical applications.
During this period, Blackrock's technology enabled numerous breakthrough demonstrations:
- 2012: First demonstration of human thought-controlled robotic arm
- 2014: First successful speech decoding from neural signals
- 2016: Long-term patient study demonstrating years of stable recording
- 2020: FDA breakthrough device designation for clinical systems
- 2021: Launch of the Blackrock Nexus clinical platform
- 2022: Expanded FDA approvals for humanitarian use
- 2023: Partnership with major rehabilitation centers
- 2024: Development of next-generation high-density arrays
The Utah Array is the gold standard for implantable neural interfaces:
- Electrode Count: 100 microelectrodes per array
- Electrode Length: 1.0-1.5 mm
- Electrode Spacing: 400 μm grid spacing
- Material: Platinum tips with silicon substrate
- Impedance: 100-500 kOhms at 1 kHz
- Sampling Rate: Up to 30 kHz per channel
- Recording Capability: Single-unit action potentials and local field potentials
Blackrock offers multiple array configurations:
- Standard Utah Array: 10×10 electrode grid
- Utah Array with Reference: Includes additional reference electrodes
- Microwire Arrays: Flexible wire arrays for chronic implantation
- Linear Arrays: For targeted deep brain recordings
- Custom Configurations: Application-specific designs
The clinical-grade recording system includes:
- Signal Conditioning: Low-noise amplification and filtering
- Digitization: 16-bit ADC at up to 30 kHz
- Data Transmission: USB 3.0 and wireless options
- Real-time Processing: FPGA-based spike sorting
- Clinical Certification: FDA-approved for human use
Blackrock's technology has significant applications for ALS patients:
- Communication Devices: Text and speech synthesis from neural signals for augmentative communication
- Motor Prosthetics: Control of robotic arms and wheelchairs
- Respiratory Monitoring: Integration with ventilator systems
- Eye Tracking Enhancement: Combined neural and eye tracking for AAC
Research applications for Alzheimer's disease include:
For Parkinson's disease patients:
For stroke patients:
- Motor Cortex Recording: Decoding movement intentions from motor cortex
- Robotic Control: Integration with rehabilitation robotics
- Neuroplasticity Enhancement: Paired BCI-rehabilitation protocols for neuroplasticity
- Functional Electrical Stimulation: Direct muscle activation from neural signals via FES
For locked-in syndrome patients:
- Communication Restoration: Text and speech output
- Environmental Control: Smart home integration
- Caregiver Communication: Emergency alert systems
- Quality of Life: Entertainment and social interaction
- Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE): Approved for specific patient populations
- IDE (Investigational Device Exemption): Ongoing clinical studies
- Breakthrough Device Designation: Received for several applications
- 510(k) Pathway: Under development for broader applications
- CE Mark (Europe): Approved for clinical use
- Health Canada: Approved for research use
- PMDA (Japan): Under review for clinical applications
Blackrock's technology is used in over 25 clinical centers worldwide, including major research hospitals in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
¶ Partnerships and Collaborations
- University of California, Berkeley: Neural decoding algorithms (Andersen Lab)
- Stanford University: Motor prosthetics and speech decoding
- University of Pittsburgh: Rehabilitation robotics
- Johns Hopkins University: Prosthetic control systems
- Caltech: Sensory feedback and brain plasticity
- Mass General Hospital: Clinical trials for ALS
- UCSF Medical Center: Speech restoration research
- Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital: Neuropsychiatric applications
- DARPA: Revolutionizing Prosthetics Program
- Boeing: Pilot training and cognitive enhancement
- Various Rehabilitation Device Manufacturers: Integration partnerships
Blackrock technology has been used in over 500 peer-reviewed publications, including landmark studies in:
- Motor prosthesis control
- Speech decoding and synthesis
- Vision restoration
- Memory and cognition
- Epilepsy monitoring
- Closed-loop neuromodulation
¶ Competitive Landscape
| Company |
Technology |
Electrodes |
Clinical Years |
Key Advantage |
| Blackrock Neurotech |
Utah Array |
100 |
15+ |
Longest clinical track record |
| Neuralink |
N1 chip |
1,024 |
1 |
Highest bandwidth |
| Synchron |
Stentrode |
~16 |
3 |
Least invasive implantation |
| Paradromics |
Connexus |
1,000+ |
Preclinical |
Bidirectional |
| Cortec |
MicroECoG |
64-128 |
Research |
Flexible, less invasive |
Over 15 years of clinical use has demonstrated:
- Infection Rate: Less than 2% with proper surgical protocol
- Device Failure: Less than 5% over 10-year period
- Brain Tissue Response: Stable glial scarring with maintained signal quality
- No Serious Adverse Events: Attributable to the device in clinical trials
- Craniotomy Required: 5-10 mm diameter for array implantation
- Recovery Time: 1-2 weeks for surgical healing
- Long-term Stability: Demonstrated recording for 10+ years in some patients
- High-Density Utah Array: 1,000+ electrodes in development
- Flexible Arrays: Reduced immune response through flexible materials
- Bidirectional Arrays: Combined recording and stimulation
- Wireless Systems: Fully implantable with wireless power and data
- Advanced Decoding Algorithms: Deep learning for improved signal processing
- Real-time Adaptation: Closed-loop systems that learn from the patient
- Cloud Integration: Machine learning improvements through aggregated data
- User Interface: Simplified clinical software for faster deployment
- More Patient Populations: Expanding beyond ALS to other conditions
- Geographic Expansion: Clinical sites in Asia and South America
- Pediatric Applications: Development of pediatric-sized arrays