Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly pursuing a long-term ambition in brain-computer interfaces through a different route than Elon Musk’s Neuralink. According to newly disclosed European Union filings, Apple acquired California-based startup Sonera in May. The startup specialized in compact magnetic sensors capable of detecting tiny magnetic fields generated by the brain and muscles without requiring skin contact or implanted devices.
Sonera was founded by UC Berkeley researchers Nishita Deka and Dominic Labanowski. The company initially focused on muscle monitoring before expanding into technology that could eventually enable everyday brain sensing. Following the acquisition, Sonera’s website has gone offline.
Apple has not publicly disclosed how it plans to use the technology. However, the acquisition aligns with the company’s broader push into digital health, accessibility, and more natural ways for users to interact with its devices. The startup’s technology could potentially be integrated into products such as the Apple Watch, Vision Pro, or other wearable devices, enabling new forms of gesture recognition, health monitoring, or hands-free interaction without surgery.
While Neuralink is developing implantable brain-computer interfaces designed to capture high-fidelity neural signals, Apple’s approach appears to prioritize accessibility and scale. The comparison with Neuralink is inevitable, but the two companies appear to be solving different parts of the same problem. If non-invasive sensors become sufficiently accurate, they could eventually reach hundreds of millions of consumers if the technology matures.
Apple’s acquisition of Sonera does not mean brain-controlled consumer devices are around the corner. Non-invasive sensing remains an emerging technology, and the company has yet to reveal any commercial roadmap. The acquisition represents an early investment in what may become the next generation of human-device interaction, even if Apple’s route looks very different from Musk’s Neuralink.
