What if nano-electronic chips could reach the brain without brain surgery?
At EmTech Future 2026, Professor Deblina Sarkar, head of the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research group at the MIT Media Lab, will present a new approach to brain-computer interfaces - Circulatronics - that could enable tiny electronic devices to autonomously integrate with the brain without invasive surgery. In her talk, “Merging Brain and AI at the Nanoscale,” Sarkar will discuss how advances in nanoelectronics and bioengineering could open new possibilities for treating debilitating neurological diseases - and ultimately reshape the relationship between biological and artificial intelligence.
EmTech Future 2026, MIT Technology Review’s flagship event at MIT, will take place September 29 - October 1, 2026, bringing together researchers, technology leaders, and innovators to examine emerging technologies and the intersections between fields.
In her talk, Sarkar will present her group’s research on Circulatronics - microscopic wireless devices designed to travel through the bloodstream, cross the blood-brain barrier, and autonomously self-implant in targeted areas of the brain. Current brain-computer interfaces typically rely on invasive electrodes that require surgery, while non-invasive technologies offer limited precision. Circulatronics holds the potential to eliminate the need for invasive surgery, enabling wireless brain stimulation with micrometer precision. This technology has been demonstrated in pre-clinical animal studies and has potential for new approaches to treating neurological conditions such as brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic pain. This surgery-free approach could reduce the costs and risks associated with conventional brain implants, making advanced life-saving neurotechnology more accessible.
Sarkar’s vision extends beyond treatment to Brain AI²—Brain–AI convergence for Augmented Intelligence and Human Flourishing—a framework for exploring how surgery-free nano-implants could bring biological and artificial intelligence into closer interaction. Unlike conventional BCIs, which rely on a small number of surgically implanted electrodes, Circulatronics allow nano-electronic devices to reach the brain without surgery and form distributed networks alongside neural circuits at cellular and subcellular scales, creating a more precise, personalized, and seamless interface with AI. In the longer term, these devices can serve as synthetic electronic neurons, adding new nodes for computation and information exchange to biological neural networks and potentially expanding human cognitive capabilities.
Together, Circulatronics and Brain AI² point toward a future in which electronics integrate more naturally with the brain, opening new possibilities for accessible therapies and brain–AI convergence that expands human potential in ways that are ethical and equitable while preserving human agency.
“Merging Brain and AI at the Nanoscale” will be presented at EmTech Future 2026, September 29 - October 1 at MIT and online.
Learn more:
- EmTech Future 2026
- Circulatronics:
- Brain AI²: Beyond intelligence through surgery-free nano-implants