Neurolutions is developing a small implanted device that translates signals recorded from the surface of the brain into computer commands to allow paralyzed patients to control a computer and perhaps prosthetic limbs and other devices.

The device is based on electrocorticography (ECoG), in which a grid of electrodes is surgically placed directly on the surface of the brain to monitor electrical activity. Because it records directly from the brain, it can provide a higher level of control than EEG, which is susceptible to distortion as the signal travels through the skull and as the patient moves. And ECoG’s position on the surface of the brain may present fewer health issues than electrodes that penetrate brain tissue.