Aug 05, 2025 12:00:00

Successfully control an iPad with a brain-implanted chip

Synchron , a brain-computer interface (BCI) company partnering with Apple, has released a video showing how a brain-implanted chip can control an iPad using only thought.

Watch Brain-Controlled iPad in Action for the First Time - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/04/watch-brain-controlled-ipad/

Synchron was the first company in the United States to be approved for clinical trials of BCIs, and in 2022, they successfully implanted the first BCI into a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), who was unable to move, eat, or speak, and the patient was able to send text messages. Also, in 2024, Synchron's YouTube channel posted a video of Mark, an ALS patient who had a BCI implant, controlling smart home devices using Amazon Alexa.

ALS patient with brain implant can now control smart home with Amazon Alexa using just his thoughts - GIGAZINE

In May 2025, Synchron announced a partnership with Apple, which had announced a new BCI standard. The new BCI, called 'Stentrode,' would be equipped with electrodes that read brain signals, allowing users to control devices like iPhones and iPads simply by thinking.

And in August 2025, Synchron released a movie on its YouTube channel showing how it actually succeeded in operating an iPad using only thought.

Control an iPad With Your Mind? Breakthrough Demo Using Apple's BCI HID - YouTube


Mark suffers from ALS and can speak aloud, but cannot move his hands satisfactorily. 'I don't know how much time I have left, but I want to use it to contribute to improving technology and advancing research,' he said.

In the movie, Mark is lying on his bed with his iPad on a stand next to the bed. Mark is staring at the iPad and operating it without moving his body.

'Mark is the first person in the world to operate an iPad using only his thoughts,' said Peter Yu, Synchron's senior director of neuroscience and algorithms. According to Yu, Synchron's vision is for BCIs to become as common an interface as a mouse or keyboard.

Synchron's Chief Commercial Officer, Kurt Hackrom, cited a key factor in Stentrode's success: the 'Human Interface Device (HID)'—a key element that makes technology accessible and easy to use. HIDs are a common standard language that translates the human finger's action of 'pressing the A key' into the device's input of 'displaying A.' Similarly, by creating a 'BCI HID' for BCI, the company established a mechanism for BCI to connect to a computer.

To operate the iPad with Stentrode, iOS's

Switch Control feature is utilized. Switch Control is an accessibility feature that allows you to perform actions like tapping, dragging, and typing with just a few switches. The currently selected area, app, button, etc. are visually displayed using different shades of color, which serves as a guide when trying to control them with your mind and helps you maintain concentration, which is important when operating with your mind alone.

'This release marks a major milestone not only for Synchron and Mark, but for the entire BCI industry,' said Hackrom.