BCI Atlas

Blackrock Neurotech is one of the longest-running infrastructure companies in invasive BCI: it supplies implantable electrode arrays and a recording ecosystem that has been used across a large fraction of academic human BCI work. Their core legacy technology is the Utah Array (also called the NeuroPort Electrode) and a family of headstages, amplifiers, and software.

This brief emphasizes the tech stack and what’s been demonstrated in peer‑reviewed literature, while being careful about private-company “stats.”

At a glance

• Website: https://blackrockneurotech.com/
• Headquarters (public listing): Salt Lake City, Utah (LinkedIn).
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock-neurotech/
• Employees (best-effort public signal): LinkedIn lists company size 51–200 employees and shows “discover all 178 employees” at time of access (approximate; not audited).
  • https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock-neurotech/
• Company type: privately held (LinkedIn).
• Revenue: not publicly disclosed (private company).

The technology: what Blackrock actually sells/builds

Blackrock describes itself as a full “ecosystem,” not a single implant:

• implantable electrodes (Utah Array / NeuroPort Electrode)

• headstages / front-end acquisition

• neural signal processing hardware

• software/tools

• Company overview (Our Tech): https://blackrockneurotech.com/our-tech/

1) Utah Array (intracortical microelectrode array)

The Utah Array is a rigid, 3D microelectrode array classically used for single-unit and multiunit recordings from cortex.

Blackrock claims:

• implanted in humans since 2004

• “nearly all BCIs implanted in humans have used Blackrock’s technology—specifically the Utah Array” (this is a strong claim; treat as company marketing language)

• Blackrock “Our Tech”: https://blackrockneurotech.com/our-tech/

Background reference (device class overview):

• Microelectrode arrays / Utah array discussion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_array

2) Research-to-clinic bridge: MoveAgain

Blackrock presents MoveAgain as its first device designed for clinical use.

• Blackrock homepage (MoveAgain mention): https://blackrockneurotech.com/
• Blackrock “Our Tech” (MoveAgain + FDA Breakthrough Designation claim): https://blackrockneurotech.com/our-tech/

(For “Breakthrough Device” details, we should later link the FDA database entry if we want to state it with maximum rigor; the company page is a start.)

What has been demonstrated (peer‑reviewed examples that intersect Blackrock’s platform)

A lot of famous “human BCI” papers are consortia-driven (BrainGate, UCSF, etc.) and may use Blackrock-manufactured arrays and recording hardware. The goal here is not to claim every result is “by Blackrock,” but to anchor what this class of technology can enable.

Decoding attempted speech into words/sentences (NEJM, 2021)

A well-known demonstration of decoding attempted speech used cortical recordings and deep-learning + language-model decoding.

• Moses et al., New England Journal of Medicine (2021): “Neuroprosthesis for Decoding Speech in a Paralyzed Person with Anarthria.”
  • PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34260835/
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2027540
  • PMCID (free full text): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8972947/

High-bandwidth wireless intracortical recording used at home (Brown, 2021)

Brown University reported the first human use of a high-bandwidth wireless BCI system at home, and notes a licensing agreement with Blackrock Microsystems for making the device available to researchers.

• Brown University news: https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-03-31/braingate-wireless

Evoked visual percepts with a 96‑channel intracortical array (JCI, 2021)

An example of what intracortical stimulation/recording arrays can enable is artificial vision work using a 96‑channel intracortical microelectrode array.

• Fernández et al., J Clin Invest (2021): “Visual percepts evoked with an intracortical 96‑channel microelectrode array inserted in human occipital cortex.”
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI151331
  • Article: https://www.jci.org/articles/view/151331

What they’re doing recently (public signals)

Blackrock’s own public messaging emphasizes:

• long duration of human implant experience (years of studies; many implanted-days)

• broad research-customer base

• a push toward clinical products (MoveAgain)

• Blackrock homepage: https://blackrockneurotech.com/

• “Our Tech”: https://blackrockneurotech.com/our-tech/

• “Our Story” timeline (links to specific publications and milestones): https://blackrockneurotech.com/our-story/

Key questions to watch

1. Longevity and signal stability Utah Arrays have a long track record, but chronic stability (unit yield vs time, encapsulation, connector reliability) remains a central engineering constraint.

2. Surgical burden and infection risk Historically, many Utah Array deployments used percutaneous connectors. Clinical systems tend to require fully implanted telemetry/power solutions.

3. Scaling beyond ~100 channels Utah Array classically means ~100 electrodes per array. The path to richer control often requires either multiple arrays or different electrode technologies.

4. Clinical commercialization The hardest step is turning research performance into a product: training burden, calibration drift, support model, and regulatory requirements.

Notes on sourcing

• Company metrics (HQ, employee counts) are taken from LinkedIn and treated as approximate.
• For technical credibility, I cited peer‑reviewed examples and university reporting, rather than only company marketing.