BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE (BCI) WORKSHOP AT SFN 2026
Saturday, November 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Walter E. Washington Convention Center – Room 140AB
Washington, DC, USA
Every breakthrough in Brain-Computer Interfaces starts with understanding the brain. Explore the complete ecosystem that empowers researchers, clinicians, and innovators from the first EEG experiment to advanced neurotechnology.
A TRADITIONAL KICK-OFF EVENT
Start your Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting with an exciting evening dedicated entirely to brain-computer interfaces and neurotechnology. Every year, hundreds of neuroscientists, engineers, clinicians, students, entrepreneurs, and technology enthusiasts gather for g.tec’s BCI Workshop before the official scientific program begins.
This workshop has become one of the most anticipated annual gatherings for the international BCI community. Before the busy conference schedule starts, attendees have the opportunity to experience the latest neurotechnology, meet leading experts, discover new ideas, and establish collaborations in an inspiring atmosphere.
Whether you are already working with BCIs or are entering the field for the first time, this workshop provides the fastest way to understand where brain-computer interfaces came from, where they are today, and where they are heading.
A UNIQUE LIVE EXPERIENCE
Unlike a traditional lecture, this workshop combines history, live demonstrations, clinical applications, engineering, artificial intelligence, and education into one fast-paced journey through modern neurotechnology.
Over the course of two hours you will experience live demonstrations of cutting-edge EEG, fNIRS, eye tracking, brain stimulation, neurorehabilitation, invasive brain mapping, disorders of consciousness, and ultra-high-density brain recording systems.
This workshop covers the complete BCI ecosystem: from recording your very first EEG to decoding brain activity with thousands of electrodes.
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
THE EVOLUTION OF BCI
Dr. Christoph Guger opens the workshop with the fascinating history of brain-computer interfaces.
Learn how BCIs evolved from the first EEG experiments into today’s high-performance neurotechnology platforms. Discover where concepts such as Common Spatial Patterns (CSP), modern BCI algorithms, open APIs, and rapid prototyping originated and how they transformed neuroscience research over the last decades.
LIVE BCI DEMOS
Experience a live Brain-Computer Interface using the Unicorn Hybrid Black. Watch participants control a real-time Puzzle Game using only their brain activity while learning how EEG signals are acquired, processed, classified, and translated into meaningful control.
This demonstration illustrates how quickly modern BCIs can be implemented using ready-to-use software and open development tools.
THE COMPLETE UNICORN NEUROTECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM
Explore the Unicorn product family designed to support every stage of Brain-Computer Interface development, from education and rapid prototyping to advanced neuroscience research and clinical innovation. Whether you are recording your first EEG, developing AI-powered neurotechnology, or building custom BCI applications, Unicorn provides an integrated ecosystem of hardware and software that scales with your needs.
Discover the complete Unicorn portfolio, including
- Unicorn Hybrid Black,
- Unicorn BCI Core Headband,
- Unicorn BCI Core-8,
- Unicorn Education Kits,
- and Unicorn tDCS.
Learn how these platforms are used for Brain-Computer Interfaces, neurotechnology education, rapid prototyping, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence research, neuroscience, and even veterinary applications involving humans, dogs, and horses.
LIVE SOFTWARE DEMOS
Experience the complete Unicorn software ecosystem through live demonstrations that showcase how EEG data is acquired, visualized, analyzed, and transformed into real-time Brain-Computer Interface applications. See how intuitive software tools accelerate development while allowing researchers and students to focus on innovation instead of hardware integration.
The demonstrations include
- Unicorn Recorder,
- Bandpower Visualization,
- Brain Buddy,
- Puzzle Game,
- Labyrinth,
- real-time EEG signal visualization,
- and the g.Pype rapid prototyping environment.
Follow the complete workflow from recording a first EEG signal to building and testing custom BCI applications, demonstrating how researchers can progress from data acquisition to their own working Brain-Computer Interface within a single day.
FROM THE LAB TO THE HIMALAYAS
Brain-computer interfaces are no longer confined to the laboratory. Join Dr. Christoph Guger on extraordinary expeditions to Mount Kazbek (5,054 m) in the Caucasus and Upper Mustang in the Nepalese Himalayas.
Discover how portable EEG technology was used to record auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), visual evoked potentials (VEPs), and resting-state brain activity under extreme environmental conditions.
Learn how brain activity changes with increasing altitude and why these expeditions demonstrate that modern neurotechnology can accompany researchers into some of the most challenging environments on Earth.
BEYOND EEG - MULTIMODAL BRAIN MONITORING
Modern neuroscience increasingly combines multiple measurement modalities. Learn how combining these technologies provides a more comprehensive understanding of human brain function.
Experience live demonstrations of:
- EEG
- Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)
- Tobii Eye Tracking
SIMULTANEOUS TMS-EEG
Discover how simultaneous EEG and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation are transforming neuroscience.
Learn why active electrodes are essential for high-quality TMS-EEG recordings and explore recent Nature publications demonstrating the performance of ultra-flat EEG electrodes developed specifically for simultaneous stimulation and recording.
BUILDING A MODERN BCI LAB
What does a complete BCI laboratory look like?
Learn how today’s researchers combine hardware, software, open APIs, signal processing, artificial intelligence, and rapid prototyping tools to accelerate innovation.
Discover why an integrated neurotechnology ecosystem is essential for efficient research and education.
BCI FOR NEUROREHABILITATION
Discover recoveriX, one of the world’s leading BCI-based rehabilitation systems. Watch a live demonstration showing how motor imagery, functional electrical stimulation, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are combined to support recovery after stroke and in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Learn about the growing international recoveriX franchise network and its clinical applications worldwide.
THE EVOLUTION OF INVASIVE BCI
Explore the history of Electrocorticography (ECoG) and invasive BCIs.
Learn how modern intraoperative brain mapping combines:
- High Gamma Mapping (HGM)
- Cortico-Cortical Evoked Potentials (CCEPs)
- Functional mapping
- Surgical planning
ULTRA HIGH-DENSITY BRAIN MAPPING
Experience g.Pangolin, one of the world’s highest-density neural recording systems.
See how thousands of recording channels enable unprecedented spatial resolution and learn how recent Nature publications demonstrated finger decoding using ultra-high-density cortical recordings.
ASSESSING CONSCIOUSNESS
Discover how mindBEAGLE enables communication with patients suffering from disorders of consciousness and locked-in syndrome.
Learn how non-invasive BCIs can assess awareness and establish communication even when no behavioral response is possible.
BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF NEUROTECHNOLOGY
The future of BCIs depends on education. Discover the worldwide initiatives that are training the next generation of neurotechnology experts:
- BCI & Neurotechnology Spring School
- BR41N.IO Brain-Computer Interface Hackathons
- Unicorn Education Kits
- Official Spring School Hosts
- University partnerships
- Global neurotechnology education
Learn how your university or organization can become part of this rapidly growing international community.
THE INTERNATIONAL BCI AWARD
The workshop concludes with an introduction to the BCI Award, one of the world’s most prestigious recognitions for innovation in brain-computer interfaces.
Learn how groundbreaking research projects from around the world are evaluated and celebrated while discovering how young researchers can become part of the future of BCI innovation.
WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND
In just two hours you will experience:
- The complete history of Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Live Brain-Computer Interface demonstrations
- Portable EEG recordings from Mount Kazbek and the Himalayas
- The complete Unicorn ecosystem
- EEG, fNIRS, and eye tracking
- Simultaneous EEG-TMS
- High-density wireless EEG
- Rapid BCI prototyping
- Neurorehabilitation with recoveriX
- Ultra-high-density ECoG and brain mapping
- Disorders of consciousness with mindBEAGLE
- The world’s largest educational initiatives in BCI
- The International BCI Award
- The latest advances in neurotechnology from research to clinical practice
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This workshop is designed for:
- Neuroscientists
- Neurologists
- Neurosurgeons
- Biomedical Engineers
- Computer Scientists
- AI Researchers
- Psychologists
- Rehabilitation Specialists
- Students
- Startup Founders
- Technology Developers
- Anyone interested in the future of Brain-Computer Interfaces
JOIN THE GLOBAL NEUROTECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY
Whether you are developing the next generation of brain-computer interfaces, exploring clinical applications, or simply curious about how the brain can communicate directly with machines, g.tec’s Brain-Computer Interface Workshop at SfN 2026 is the perfect way to begin your conference.
No other event at SfN provides such a comprehensive overview of the entire BCI ecosystem: from the history of brain-computer interfaces to the latest Nature publications, live demonstrations, clinical applications, education, and future technologies in a single evening.
Join hundreds of researchers, clinicians, engineers, and innovators for an unforgettable journey through the past, present, and future of brain-computer interfaces.
We look forward to welcoming you to Washington, DC.
SPONSORED & ORGANIZED BY
