Ian Burkhart

Ian Burkhart is one of the few people worldwide who has ever used an implantable brain-computer interface. After a diving accident in 2010 left him with C5 tetraplegia, he has participated in multiple clinical trials, including using a BCI to control muscle stimulation and play Guitar Hero. Until 2022, Ian held the record for the longest chronically implanted BCI at more than seven years. He recently founded the BCI Pioneers Coalition, a digital forum led by the world’s first implantable BCI research participants, and is president of the Ian Burkhart Foundation, which raises funds for accessible equipment for disabled individuals. Ian is VP of the North American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium and has also worked with Unite2Fight Paralysis to advocate for $6 million of SCI research.