Corticale is an Italian neurotechnology company engineering ultra–high-density intracortical implants to enable new brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetics. The company’s technology, called SiNAPS, consists of modular neural probes each with 1024 microelectrodes, allowing simultaneous interaction with thousands of neurons at single-cell resolution. Corticale’s aim is to provide the highest-density neural interface ever created, unlocking unprecedented detail in brain recording and stimulation for both research and future clinical applications.

Each SiNAPS probe is a tiny silicon-based (CMOS) shank populated with an array of microscale electrode contacts spaced ~30 µm apart. These probes are minimally invasive – designed to be as thin and flexible as possible to reduce tissue damage, and inserted into the cortex via a relatively small port. Once implanted, a single probe can listen to the spiking activity of hundreds of individual neurons across the cortical depth, and multiple probes can be combined as a modular system to cover broader brain regions. The recorded data is channeled through on-chip ASICs for amplification and multiplexing, enabling scalable high-bandwidth data capture. Because the electrodes are so dense, the system can also perform fine-grained microstimulation, potentially writing information back into the cortex with high precision (for example, for visual prosthetics or motor cortex stimulation). All components are being built to maintain long-term stability and biocompatibility for chronic use.

Corticale’s implants initially target neuroscience research: laboratories can use them to map neural circuits in unrivaled detail, observing how large populations of neurons coordinate during behavior or disease states. This could lead to new discoveries in brain computation and disorders. On the clinical front, the technology promises to greatly enhance BCI performance for conditions like paralysis – with thousands of channels, a BCI could decode movement intentions or speech with higher accuracy and degrees of freedom than existing systems. Similarly, a visual prosthetic using these probes (placed in visual cortex) could convey more detailed images to a blind user due to the high electrode count. Another advantage is Corticale’s focus on minimally invasive delivery – if these dense arrays can be injected or implanted through small burr holes without open surgery, it lowers risk and expands who can benefit. In essence, Corticale is laying the neurotech groundwork for next-generation BCIs that are scalable, modular, and information-rich, pushing the boundaries of brain interfacing by leveraging cutting-edge microelectronics.