What if your thoughts could directly control a computer?

In this episode of The Long Frontier, hosts Brannon Jones and Abe Murray explore the rapidly advancing world of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) with Dr. Tom Oxley, founder and CEO of Synchron.

Together, they unpack how BCIs work, as well as how and why the field has accelerated in recent years. From invasive implants and non-invasive headsets to AI-powered cognition models and the future of human augmentation, the conversation explores one of the most ambitious technologies being developed today.

• What brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) actually are and how they work
• Why reading signals from the brain is far more difficult than it sounds
• The tradeoffs between invasive and non-invasive BCIs
• How Synchron's endovascular approach differs from Neuralink and other competitors
• Why stability and signal quality are major challenges for wearable BCIs
• The role of foundation models and AI in decoding brain activity
• How BCIs are already helping people with paralysis regain autonomy
• The challenges of FDA approval and clinical validation for BCI technologies
• How future BCIs could support cognition, memory, communication, and decision-making

Dr. Tom Oxley is the founder and CEO of Synchron, a brain-computer interface company pioneering an endovascular approach that delivers neural interfaces through blood vessels rather than open brain surgery.

Originally trained as a neurologist, Oxley has spent more than a decade developing technologies that allow people with paralysis to control digital devices directly from their thoughts. Under his leadership, Synchron has become one of the leading companies in the BCI industry and among the first to successfully implant these systems in human patients.

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The Long Frontier explores the technologies shaping the next 30 years of human civilization—diving deep into the science, engineering tradeoffs, and market dynamics behind the world's most important innovations.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) — A system that translates brain activity into commands that can control external devices.

EEG (Electroencephalography) — A non-invasive method of measuring electrical activity in the brain using sensors placed on the scalp.

Endovascular BCI — A brain-computer interface delivered through blood vessels rather than through open-brain surgery.

Foundation Model — A large AI model trained on extensive datasets that can be adapted to perform many different tasks.

Gliosis — The brain's immune response to injury or foreign objects, which can create scar tissue around implanted devices.

Motor Cortex — The region of the brain responsible for planning and controlling voluntary movement.

Neurotechnology — Technologies designed to interact with, measure, or modify the nervous system.

Synchron — A neurotechnology company developing minimally invasive brain-computer interfaces using endovascular implants.

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