Bridge Neurotech Emerges from Stealth with Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interface Vision, Partners with Butterfly Network
Bridge Neurotech, a company developing a completely non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI), has emerged from stealth with a mission to explore brain-computer interaction without the need for surgery or implanted devices. Alongside its public launch, the company announced a research and development agreement with Butterfly Network, Inc. (NYSE: BFLY), a pioneer in semiconductor-based ultrasound, programmable cloud software and artificial intelligence.
Under the agreement, Bridge will license Butterfly’s Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology to support its research into non-surgical BCIs. The multi-year collaboration includes payments to Butterfly tied to technology access and development milestones, as well as commitments from Bridge to purchase Butterfly hardware.
The partnership brings together Bridge’s focus on neuroscience, brain-computer interfaces and artificial intelligence with Butterfly’s semiconductor-based ultrasound technology. Bridge believes that recent advances across neuroscience, semiconductor engineering and AI could enable new approaches to imaging and decoding brain activity through the skull, potentially creating new ways to interact with the brain without surgical implants.
Bridge Neurotech Targets Surgery-Free Brain-Computer Interfaces
Brain-computer interfaces have traditionally involved highly invasive approaches in which electrodes or other sensing technologies are placed directly on or inside the brain. Such systems have generated significant interest for applications including restoring communication or motor function in people with neurological conditions, but the need for surgery and implanted hardware can present substantial barriers to broader adoption.
Bridge Neurotech was founded around a different objective: developing a BCI that does not require brain surgery or implanted components.
The company believes ultrasound could play an important role in achieving that objective. Its approach is based on the potential to use ultrasound to image and decode activity in the brain through the skull. Combined with advances in computing, semiconductor technology and AI, Bridge sees an opportunity to investigate whether brain signals can be interpreted in real time without requiring invasive neural implants.
The company’s emergence from stealth marks the beginning of its public effort to advance this research. Bridge has also announced its first human research study and is now enrolling participants.
The company has published additional information about its mission, technology and research through a founder’s letter, providing further context for its approach to non-invasive BCI development.
Butterfly’s Ultrasound-on-Chip Technology Supports Development
As part of the research and development agreement, Bridge will license Butterfly Network’s Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology.
Butterfly has developed a semiconductor-based approach to ultrasound that integrates ultrasound capabilities onto a chip. The company has also built programmable cloud software and AI capabilities around its ultrasound platform, with the goal of enabling portable and digitally connected imaging applications.
For Bridge, access to this technology provides a hardware foundation for investigating ultrasound-based brain imaging and decoding.
The companies’ agreement is structured as a multi-year collaboration rather than a simple technology licensing arrangement. It includes payments to Butterfly associated with technology access and development milestones, along with commitments by Bridge to purchase Butterfly hardware as it advances its research program.
The arrangement reflects the early-stage nature of Bridge’s BCI development efforts while establishing a technology relationship that can support its human research and future development activities.
Will Biederman, Founder and CEO of Bridge Neurotech, said the company was established because its founders believe technological advances have brought non-invasive BCIs closer to practical exploration.
“We started Bridge because we believe the pieces are finally in place to make a non-invasive brain-computer interface possible, and ultrasound is central to that opportunity,” said Biederman. “Butterfly has already brought ultrasound onto a fully integrated semiconductor chip, giving us a powerful and programmable foundation as we work toward real-time, non-invasive interaction with the brain.”
Human Research Marks Next Stage for Bridge
Bridge’s announcement also signals a transition from technology development in stealth to human research. The company said it has initiated its first human research study and is currently enrolling participants.
Human research will be an important step in evaluating the feasibility of Bridge’s approach and determining how effectively ultrasound-based technologies can be used to investigate brain activity through the skull.
The company’s broader objective is to explore whether non-invasive sensing can eventually support meaningful interaction between humans and computing systems. In this context, Bridge’s research sits at the intersection of neuroscience, medical imaging, semiconductor technology and artificial intelligence.
A major area of interest for BCI developers is the ability to interpret neural activity accurately enough to translate brain signals into useful information or commands. Non-invasive approaches seek to accomplish this without placing electrodes or other devices inside the body.
However, developing such systems involves significant technical challenges. The skull and surrounding tissues can affect how signals are transmitted and detected, while brain activity itself is complex and dynamic. Any future system intended for real-time use would also need to combine sensing, signal processing and computational interpretation.
Bridge is positioning ultrasound as a potential pathway for addressing some of these challenges.
Potential Applications Span Healthcare and Human Capabilities
The broader BCI field is being explored for applications that range from medical treatment and rehabilitation to communication and other forms of human-computer interaction.
For patients affected by neurological disorders or injuries, BCIs are being investigated as potential tools for restoring lost functions or creating alternative ways to communicate and control external devices. Non-invasive systems could potentially expand access by eliminating some of the barriers associated with surgical implantation.
Bridge is also looking beyond therapeutic applications. The company describes its mission in terms of both restoring function and potentially expanding human capabilities.
That broader vision is reflected in the comments from Butterfly Network President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Joseph DeVivo.
“The BCI category holds enormous potential, from treating serious conditions to expanding human capabilities,” said DeVivo. “One of the most fundamental challenges will be expanding that potential to the masses. Innovators like Bridge are exploring surgery-free approaches to broaden access, and we’re proud our Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology can help advance that pursuit.”
The comments highlight one of the central issues facing the BCI sector: accessibility. Technologies that depend on neurosurgical procedures and implanted devices may face limitations related to cost, infrastructure, clinical expertise and patient acceptance. Non-invasive technologies could offer a different development pathway if they can demonstrate sufficient performance, reliability and safety.
Combining Ultrasound, Semiconductors and AI
Bridge’s approach relies on the convergence of several technology areas that have advanced rapidly in recent years.
Ultrasound provides the imaging component, while semiconductor technology can support increasingly compact and integrated hardware. AI and computational techniques can then be used to process complex biological signals and potentially identify patterns associated with brain activity.
Butterfly’s Ultrasound-on-Chip platform is particularly relevant to this strategy because the technology integrates ultrasound capabilities into a semiconductor-based architecture. For Bridge, the ability to work with a programmable ultrasound platform could provide flexibility as researchers investigate different approaches to brain imaging and signal interpretation.
The partnership therefore represents more than the supply of imaging hardware. The multi-year agreement is designed to provide Bridge with access to Butterfly technology while supporting development milestones and hardware procurement as its program progresses.
Early-Stage Research Will Help Define the Technology
Bridge’s emergence from stealth does not represent the completion of a non-invasive BCI. Instead, it marks the beginning of a research and development program that will need to establish whether the underlying approach can ultimately deliver the performance required for practical brain-computer interaction.
The first human research study is expected to provide an important source of information as Bridge evaluates its technology in people. Research at this stage can help developers better understand the characteristics of signals that can be detected, the capabilities and limitations of the imaging approach, and the computational requirements for interpreting brain activity.
The company’s stated objective is real-time, non-invasive interaction with the brain, but achieving that goal will require continued technical development and validation.
The collaboration with Butterfly provides Bridge with an established semiconductor-based ultrasound platform as it begins this process.
A New Direction for BCI Development
The partnership between Bridge Neurotech and Butterfly Network comes as interest in brain-computer interfaces continues to extend beyond traditional implanted approaches. While invasive BCIs remain an important area of research, the possibility of developing systems that operate without surgery could broaden the range of people able to participate in BCI technologies if technical and clinical hurdles can be overcome.
Bridge is entering the field with a specific focus on non-invasive brain imaging and decoding, using ultrasound as a core technology. Its agreement with Butterfly gives the company access to Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology while establishing a multi-year framework for research and development.
With its first human research study now enrolling, Bridge is moving from stealth-stage development into an early phase of testing its vision. The company’s progress will depend on how successfully it can combine ultrasound imaging, semiconductor hardware, neuroscience and AI to detect and interpret brain activity through the skull.
For Butterfly, the collaboration represents another potential application for its semiconductor-based ultrasound technology and expands its role into an emerging area of Brain neurotechnology.
Together, the companies are exploring whether advances in imaging and computing can help move BCIs toward a less invasive model. While significant research remains ahead, Bridge’s launch and initial human study establish the foundation for its effort to develop brain-computer interfaces without surgery or implanted devices.
About Bridge Neurotech
Bridge Neurotech is building a non-invasive interface for the mind. The company is developing a functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI) platform with AI-based neural decoding for brain-computer interface applications. Its aim is to image the brain’s activity, without surgery or other modifications to the body. Bridge’s first research study is now enrolling participants in Redwood City, California. Bridge was founded in 2026 in Silicon Valley, California, and is backed by investors including General Catalyst, reMind Capital, Sunflower Capital and Scott Sandell. To learn more, visit www.bridgeneurotech.com.
About Butterfly Network
Butterfly Network, Inc. (NYSE: BFLY) is driving a digital revolution in ultrasound imaging and sensing with its proprietary Ultrasound-on-Chip™ semiconductor technology and software solutions. Butterfly first proved its technology in the point-of-care ultrasound market – commercializing the world’s first single-probe, whole-body portable ultrasound device, which is now on its best-selling, third-generation: Butterfly iQ3™.
The Company combines its advanced hardware with cloud software and AI, an enterprise workflow solution (Compass AI™) and other offerings to drive adoption of affordable, accessible ultrasound. Butterfly also enables third-party development of imaging AI apps through Butterfly Garden™, its software development kit and AI marketplace.
In addition to its medical imaging products, Butterfly Embedded™ is the Company’s Ultrasound-on-Chip™ licensing and co-development business designed to enable a new wave of ultrasound-enabled technologies across non-competitive healthcare markets and beyond. Through Butterfly Embedded™, partners can build and scale novel ultrasound applications powered by Butterfly’s proprietary semiconductor chip and software platform.
Butterfly’s innovations have been recognized by Prix Galien USA, Fierce 50, TIME’s Best Inventions and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas, among other achievements. To learn more, visit: www.butterflynetwork.com.