Explained | How IISc's Brain Co-Processor 'Moonshot' Project Offers New Hope For Stroke Survivors

Bengaluru: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in India. According to the National Stroke Registry Programme, nearly one in seven stroke patients in the country is under the age of 45, highlighting the growing burden of neurological disorders among younger populations. As scientists look for new solutions to address this challenge, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have launched an ambitious 'moonshot' project to develop brain co-processors, an emerging technology that could enhance or restore the brain’s natural abilities.

Professor G Rangarajan, Director of IISc, said that the project integrates experts and researchers from fields ranging from neuroscience, bioelectronics, and electrical engineering to neuromorphic computing. He noted that the initiative will work on addressing a major medical challenge—stroke rehabilitation.

The project aims to combine neuromorphic hardware, advanced neural recording systems, and artificial intelligence algorithms to create devices to assist the brain in performing complex tasks. If successful, the technology could help stroke survivors regain lost functions like movement, coordination, and goal-directed reach and grasp abilities.

Understanding the Vision

Brain co-processors represent a new frontier in neurotechnology. These devices are designed to work alongside the brain, assisting its natural processes. The IISc initiative is a multidisciplinary project, seeded by the Brain, Computation, and Data Science (BCD) initiative with over 20 faculty members, and supported by the Pratiksha Trust of Kris and Sudha Gopalakrishnan.

An MoU formalising the partnership was signed at IISc in the presence of Kris Gopalakrishnan; Prof G Rangarajan, Director of IISc; and Prof B Gurumoorthy, Chief Executive, Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID), IISc along with other dignitaries and Deans from IISc. (IISc)

Kris Gopalakrishnan emphasised that by building tools to repair the brain, India is advancing from research to innovation, aiming to deliver world-class indigenous medical technologies. He highlighted that collaborative international partnerships are positioning India as a global leader in neuroscience by linking foundational research with clinical applications.

The concept of neural co-processors was first proposed in a 2019 research paper by Rajesh Rao and collaborators at the University of Washington. Inspired by that work, IISc researchers began exploring the idea under the Brain, Computation and Data Science initiative. The project formally commenced in October 2022, following a special call for proposals by the BCD Scientific Advisory Committee.

Researchers selected cognitive rehabilitation of stroke patients as the primary application because stroke provides a useful model for studying multiple brain functions simultaneously — including vision, attention, decision-making, and motor control.

How Brain Co-Processors Work

The human brain operates through complex networks of electrical signals exchanged between neurons. Brain co-processors aim to decode brain activity from neural recordings, process them using AI, and then send corrected or supportive signals back to the brain via neurofeedback. In practice, the system functions in three stages:

1. Neural Recording: Sensors capture electrical activity from the brain.
2. AI Processing: Algorithms analyse these signals in real time to interpret intentions or detect errors in neural communication.
3. Neural Feedback: The system sends targeted stimulation or neurofeedback signals back to the brain to support or correct neural pathways.

This process relies on real-time neuromorphic AI systems-on-chips — specialised processors designed to mimic the way neurons communicate. These chips can operate efficiently at scale with very low power consumption, suitable for wearable or implantable medical devices.

The project envisions both implantable (invasive) and non-invasive brain co-processors that could help enhance functions like memory, attention, vision, and motor skills.

Focus on Stroke Rehabilitation

The primary focus of the IISc's moonshot project is stroke rehabilitation by creating a clinically viable, accessible neuroprosthetic platform, particularly restoring motor functions lost after a stroke.

Stroke survivors often struggle with movements such as reaching out to grasp objects, maintaining balance, or coordinating limbs. These actions may appear simple, but they require complex interactions between multiple brain regions, including the motor cortex, parietal cortex, cerebellum, basal ganglia, and prefrontal cortex.

The figure demonstrates the primary objective of the project which is to develop a neural co-processor to restore goal-directed reach and grasp abilities of MCA stroke patients (IISc)

Traditional Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) typically attempt to replace the role of damaged brain regions with artificial control systems. However, many such systems fail to scale because they rely on simplified models of brain function.

Whereas, through the IISc approach, the co-processor will support the brain’s natural capacity to adapt and heal. By assisting neural pathways during rehabilitation, the co-processor could help patients gradually recover the ability to perform everyday tasks. Talking to ETV Bharat, IISc researchers revealed that the technology could also benefit individuals suffering from:

• Upper limb function arising from traumatic brain injuries through accidents
• Spinal cord injuries
• Neurological disorders affecting limb movement

Researchers also believe that the approach could eventually expand to address a broader range of cognitive and neurological conditions.

Indigenous Technology Development

A key objective of the project is to develop indigenous neurotechnology solutions tailored to India’s healthcare ecosystem. Most advanced brain-implant technologies are developed by international companies and research institutions, making them expensive and less accessible for many patients in developing countries. The IISc project aims to change that by creating low-cost, scalable, India-made implants, hardware platforms, and AI software stacks. By designing systems compatible with existing clinical infrastructure, researchers hope to make advanced neuroprosthetics accessible even in low-resource healthcare settings with a wider patient reach.

The initiative will also build India-specific datasets of stereo-EEG, ECoG, and behavioural deep brain recordings, and stimulation electrodes, which are essential for training accurate AI models that understand the neural patterns of Indian patients. Importantly, the project plans to release open-source datasets, AI models, and visualisation tools, creating what researchers describe as a digital public good for the global neuroscience community.

Brain Co-Processors: IISc’s Ambitious Plan to Restore Lost Motor Functions (IISc)

The initiative will leverage India’s clinical scale by partnering with neurologists and neurosurgeons across leading hospitals in multiple states. Patients participating in the research may perform simple tasks related to vision, attention, and movement while their brain signals are recorded. These experiments will help scientists understand how the brain processes. The collaboration between basic science researchers and clinicians is considered critical.

Addressing Ethical and Privacy Concerns

Brain implants and neural recording technologies raise significant ethical, privacy, and safety concerns. Recognising this, the IISc project plans to create a privacy-aware and remotely accessible database containing neural recordings and behavioural data. All patient data will be anonymised and protected according to national and international medical standards.

The project will follow guidelines from the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, and the National Institutes of Health in the United States. In addition, neurologists, therapists, patients, and caregivers will be involved throughout the development process to ensure that ethical and practical concerns are addressed.

When asked about the timeline of the moonshot project, IISc researchers said that it is structured in two phases spanning a total of ten years:

Building a Global Neuroscience Hub

Researchers believe that the moonshot initiative could help position India as a global leader in neuroscience and neurotechnology. The project brings together expertise in AI, device engineering, electrode development, materials science, neuroscience, and clinical medicine.

Rajesh Rao, Pratiksha Trust Chair Professor at IISc, told ETV Bharat, “The moonshot project brings together talents in many different areas to share a common vision." According to him, India has the engineering and scientific resources needed to pursue such ambitious research.

Although still in the early stages, the brain co-processor project, if successful, could transform stroke rehabilitation, enabling patients to regain independence and improve their quality of life. It could open the door to a future where AI-powered neural interfaces assist the human brain in recovering from injury and disease.