UCANACT

Eight million people in the world live with motor disability, such as paralysis, unable to move or speak. Think of Stephen Hawking: they are cognitively intact but cannot express themselves and interact with the world.

UCANACT is an innovative solution that can help these people. UCANACT is a digital brain-computer interface (BCI) that can bypass paralysis and turn brain signals directly into computer commands and speech. Although several BCI solutions are being developed by competitors, UCANACT offers a unique new concept: it is a first operating system for brain interfacing technology, like Android for your smartphone. Our world’s first brain-powered operating system is 1) device-agnostic with support of both brain implants and wearables, 2) highly accurate with minimal training on new users, 3) equipped with a uniquely personalized artificial intelligence (AI) interface.

UCANACTs proof of concept allowed a person with paralysis to control a computer by generating yes/no commands with their brain activity. For this, UCANACT interfaced with an off-label implant from our partner. Our participant used the system 24/7 at 90% accuracy for over 7 years. No alternative commercially available technology could achieve such outcome. In our latest pre-clinical work, we show highly accurate decoding of individual words from brain signals (>90% accuracy) and decoding models that generalize across individuals drastically reducing training time on new users. We are building agentic AI that learns BCI use patterns in users to further facilitate and personalize their experience. We have patented our innovations and are running three clinical trials to further validate results in end users.

UCANACT is a spin-out from the UMC Utrecht, which has pioneered the BCI field for the past 20 years. Our founders include a) prof. Nick Ramsey – founder of the international BCI society, former CEO of a medtech software company BrainCarta, consultant/collaborator at leading BCI companies (Neuralink, Blackrock Neurotech, Synchron); b) dr. Mariska Vansteensel – clinical validation expert, former president of the international BCI society, consultant for a venture capital firm in neurotech (USA); c) dr. Julia Berezutskaya – BCI and AI expert with experience building AI software (brancher.org), and a award-winning academic entrepreneur (UREKA Megachallenge, Santiago WISE award).