Quadriplegic Punk Rocker Creates Music with Brain Implants

Galen Buckwalter, a 69-year-old research psychologist and musician, uses a brain-computer interface to make music with his mind.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 5:29pm

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An abstract, highly structured painting in soft, earthy tones of green, blue, and brown, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the complex neural pathways and brain activity involved in a quadriplegic musician's use of brain-computer interface technology to create music.A quadriplegic punk rocker's brain-computer interface technology unlocks a new frontier of musical expression and creativity.Los Angeles Today

Galen Buckwalter, a quadriplegic punk rock musician from Los Angeles, has undergone a procedure to have brain implants surgically placed that allow him to create music using only his thoughts. The brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, developed by Blackrock Neurotech, reads Buckwalter's neuronal activity and decodes his movement intentions, enabling him to produce sounds and melodies on a computer. Buckwalter collaborates with Caltech graduate student Sean Darcy, who developed an algorithm to translate Buckwalter's brain signals into musical tones.

Why it matters

This breakthrough technology has the potential to significantly enhance the creative abilities and quality of life for people with severe motor impairments like quadriplegia. By restoring movement and communication through brain-computer interfaces, individuals who were previously limited in their physical capabilities can now express themselves through music and other forms of art, providing them with a newfound sense of empowerment and purpose.

The details

Buckwalter has a total of six brain implants that read his neuronal activity and decode his movement intentions. He is able to control the pitch and rhythm of musical tones by thinking about moving different parts of his body, such as his toe, index finger, or pinky. Darcy's algorithm assigns a specific tone to Buckwalter's baseline firing rate, allowing him to create melodies and rhythms. The duo is now working on developing more complex musical capabilities, including the ability to layer loops and melodies.

  • Buckwalter underwent the brain implant procedure in 2025.
  • Buckwalter's band, Siggy, released their new album 'Wirehead' in March 2026.

The players

Galen Buckwalter

A 69-year-old research psychologist and punk rock musician from Los Angeles who is quadriplegic and has undergone a procedure to have brain implants that allow him to create music using only his thoughts.

Sean Darcy

A Caltech graduate student who developed an algorithm that enables Buckwalter to create musical tones on a computer using only his mind.

Blackrock Neurotech

The company that manufactured the brain implants surgically placed in Buckwalter's brain, which read his neuronal activity and decode his movement intentions.

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What they’re saying

“Each neuron has a baseline firing rate. All these neurons are firing to some extent, but what we do is identify neurons that I have volitional control of. My six implants each have 64 independent channels to record from, and we have a big screen with all 384 channels on it.”

— Galen Buckwalter, Quadriplegic Musician

“What Sean does is he assigns a tone to the baseline firing rate. If I activate that neuron, the pitch will go up, and if I suppress it, it will come back down. I think about moving my index finger, and then think about moving my pinky, and I can do that for as many channels as I have volitional control over.”

— Galen Buckwalter, Quadriplegic Musician

“We're starting to get loops so that I can get a good rhythm loop going and then put melodies on top of it. As soon as we started playing around with it and I realized what I could do, we were both like, 'Oh yeah, we gotta record it.' Now we want to see what we can do just with neural music.”

— Galen Buckwalter, Quadriplegic Musician

What’s next

Buckwalter and Darcy plan to continue developing the brain-computer interface technology to create more complex and layered musical compositions, exploring the full potential of 'neural music'.

The takeaway

This remarkable story showcases how innovative brain-computer interface technology can empower individuals with severe physical limitations, like quadriplegia, to express their creativity and regain a sense of agency over their lives. Buckwalter's journey demonstrates the transformative impact of such advancements, which hold the promise of enhancing the quality of life for many others facing similar challenges.