Elon Musk’s Neuralink rival BrainCo is developing an electronic GLP-1 wearable that could suppress appetite without weight-loss drugs

There’s a growing market for weight-loss treatments. According to a 2026 Gallup survey, 11% of American adults reported using GLP-1 medications for weight loss, up from just 3% in 2024.

BrainCo hopes to bring the device to market within the next two to three years, starting in China before potentially expanding to the U.S.

Could brain stimulation offer an alternative to weight-loss drugs?

BrainCo operates in the same brain-computer interface industry as Elon Musk’s Neuralink, although the two aren’t directly competing in the weight-loss market.

While Neuralink has focused on developing brain chips that are surgically implanted to help people with paralysis and other neurological conditions, BrainCo has largely focused on noninvasive wearable technology. Its proposed appetite-suppressing device is just one of the company’s latest ventures.

Over the past few years, Americans looking to lose weight have been turning to prescription drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Both contain semaglutide, which mimics a hormone that helps regulate appetite. But these medications can also come with unpleasant side effects.

In clinical trials involving adults taking Wegovy’s 2.4 mg injection for weight loss, 44% experienced nausea and 25% reported vomiting. Just under 7% of patients stopped taking the medication because of side effects, compared with 3.2% of those taking a placebo, according to the drug’s prescribing information.

BrainCo’s proposed device could offer a way to manage weight without taking injectables or medication. But there’s still a lot we don’t know about the technology, including whether it actually works and what risks it might carry. The company has yet to publicly release clinical data showing its effectiveness or explain exactly how it would suppress appetite, according to NeuroTechGuide.

What’s next for BrainCo?

BrainCo hasn’t settled on how it will sell the device. Its co-founder told Bloomberg the company is considering separate versions for medical use and everyday consumers.

The company is also looking to raise money to support its growth. In January, BrainCo confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported.

BrainCo is already selling products in the U.S., including prosthetic hands that use muscle signals to help people with amputations or disabilities control finger movements. The company also supplies robotic hands to China’s growing humanoid robotics industry.

But its plans for further growth could face a hurdle. On Oct. 22, the U.S. Treasury Department proposed new rules that would restrict certain American investments in Chinese companies developing sensitive technologies, including brain-computer interfaces.

The goal is to prevent U.S. money from helping foreign countries develop technologies that could be used for military purposes, intelligence gathering or surveillance.