Cognixion is bringing conversational communication to patients experiencing total paralysis, without the need for invasive surgery. Recently featured in Forbes, the company announced the launch of a clinical trial of Axon-R, its wearable brain-computer interface (BCI), to help ALS late-stage patients regain their ability to communicate. Unlike more well-known BCIs that require surgical implantation, Axon-R leverages EEG technology paired with a proprietary AI-powered application, and eye tracking to enable seamless interaction with an augmented reality display, opening new possibilities for assistive communication.
In the article, Cognixion CEO Andreas Forsland shared how Axon-R is showing real-world promise, with dozens of applications for the technology being studied. The caregiver for Rabbi Hurwitz, one of the first trial patients, noted:
The first time he opened up the keyboard, he actually managed to say something on his own… I haven’t actually seen him be able to do that by himself for a while. 
The clinical trial, funded in part by ALS Accel, aims to optimize Axon-R for broader patient use. With $25 million in funding from investors including Prime Movers Lab and Amazon Alexa Fund, Cognixion, which has already received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for Axon, is at the forefront of a rapidly growing BCI market, which is expected to reach $80 billion by 2035, according to Morgan Stanley.
The full article is available on the Forbes website: “This Startup Lets Paralyzed People Use Computers–Without A Chip In Their Head”