From wireless implants treating Parkinson's disease to wearables that help people with speech disabilities communicate in their own voice, neurotechnology at CES 2025 debuted for the first time as a special focus, showing how brain-computer interfaces – devices that translate brain signals into digital commands – are moving from science fiction into practical healthcare applications.
While CES built its reputation showcasing the latest gadgets and consumer electronics, healthcare has carved out an increasingly prominent role at the annual tech gathering. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the group that hosts the conference, recognized several brain-focused technologies in this year’s Innovation Awards.
Innovative Approaches to Solving Neurological Illnesses with Technology
Phin Stim, an Innovation Award honoree developed by Gbrain, monitors and stimulates the brain to treat conditions like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. The wireless neural implant uses a thin-film polymer electrode designed for minimal tissue impact, allowing patients to receive treatment without scalp-attached wires or invasive deep-brain penetration. The company aims to develop products to allow users to control digital devices via brainwaves.
Ceragem's Neuro Wellness Enhancer, also a CES 2025 honoree, is the first medically-approved home-use device for treating depression symptoms. The system uses non-invasive micro direct current stimulation controlled through a mobile app, with clinical data showing a 63 percent remission rate over six weeks.
Bling’s Braindeck, another CES Innovation Award Honoree, tackles communication challenges with a wearable system that converts abnormal speech and sign language into clear verbal communication in real-time. The device combines AI with high-performance microphones, speakers and built-in cameras, and can project spoken words onto the wearer's wrist.
Naqi Logix’s Neural Earbuds, an Innovation Honoree in the Accessibility & AgeTech category, is a non-invasive alternative to brain implants for hands-free device control. The wireless devices allow users to control computers, mobile devices and smart home technology through neural signals, without requiring voice commands or touch interfaces. Developed primarily for individuals with limited mobility, the technology also aims to provide enhanced multitasking capabilities for general users.
Earable Neuroscience’s FRENZ FocusFlow, a digital health category Innovation Award Honoree, combines real-time brain signal tracking with personalized audio therapy for mental health and focus-tracking. More than 50 percent of people globally struggle with maintaining focus throughout the day, according to the company, whose trials showed a 70 percent improvement in focus over 30 days.
Neurotech for Everyday People
"We need to put technologies like this into the hands of everyday people so that we can start to track and improve our cognitive well-being," Tan Le, founder and CEO of EMOTIV, said at CES 2025's "Everyday Neurotech: Brain-Computer Interfaces for All," panel. Her company launched new wireless electroencephalography (EEG) earbuds at the show that allow continuous brain monitoring without the skull barrier that traditional scalp measurements face.
Neurotechnology has evolved from a niche curiosity when CES first debuted in 1967 to a prominent feature in recent years. In the 1970s and 1980s, early biofeedback and EEG devices emerged as tools for relaxation and self-regulation, though true medical uses were limited. The 2000s marked a turning point for the field, with companies like Emotiv introducing brain-computer interfaces for gaming in 2008 and InteraXon’s brain-sensing Muse headband in 2013.
This decade saw further advances. Two years ago, FRENZ won recognition at CES for its Brainband, a wearable sleep aid device that responds in real-time to EEG, facial and eye motions. This year’s conference featured a "Super Bowl of NeuroTech" event with panels on brain-computer interfaces, cognitive enhancement tools and healthcare applications.
Direct Brain Communication with Neurotech
While consumer applications of neurotechnology have emerged gradually, medical brain-computer interfaces evolved starting in the 1970s. Early work at UCLA focused on establishing direct communication between the brain and external devices through animal experiments.
A major milestone for the field came in 2004 when Matt Nagle, a quadriplegic patient, became the first person to receive a computer brain implant. The device allowed him to control a computer and a prosthetic hand. By 2012, researchers had developed technology that allowed paralyzed individuals to control robotic arms with enough precision to drink coffee independently.
Computer-brain interfaces hit mainstream news more recently when Neuralink received FDA approval for its first human clinical trial in May 2023. Less than a year later, the company’s implantable chip enabled a paralyzed patient to control a computer mouse using only their thoughts. In September 2024, The FDA awarded Neuralink’s “Blindsight” implant, designed to restore vision by stimulating the visual cortex, “breakthrough device” designation.
The Future of Brain-Controlled Devices
Entrepreneurs and researchers who spoke at various neurotech panels during CES 2025 outlined an ambitious vision for the technology's future. Beyond neurorehabilitation and restoring sensory and motor functions, they see opportunities to replace medical treatments with technological ones.
Tam Vu, PhD, Professor at Dartmouth College and Founder of Earable Neuroscience, outlined three key trends in neuroscience: advanced non-invasive brain sensing, AI and machine learning to understand cognitive functions, and stimulation technologies like speakers and ultrasound to improve brain performance.
“A good application would be a drug-free solution for something that's already being sold right now in the pharmaceutical world,” Vu said on the “Everyday Neurotech” panel. “Think insomnia, ADHD – some of the neurodegenerative diseases that are being treated by using pharmaceutical solutions, using wearable neurotech technologies. I think that would be the killer app that we will see in five to 10 years.”