Apple has acquired Sonera, a California company developing non-invasive magnetic sensors that measure neural and muscular signals, according to AppleInsider. The technology could eventually have applications across health monitoring, accessibility, prosthetics and brain-computer interfaces.
Sonera develops sensors designed to detect magnetic activity generated by the body rather than relying solely on conventional electrical measurements.
The company was founded in 2018 by Nishita Deka and Dominic Labanowski while they were students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Originally known as Sonera Magnetics, the startup emerged from stealth in 2023 after raising $11 million.
Sonera has worked to make brain and muscle sensing technology smaller, more portable and less invasive.
Magnetic sensing could have advantages over electrical brain measurements because electrical signals can be attenuated as they travel through the skull.
The company’s technology therefore creates the potential for higher-quality neural measurements without requiring surgically implanted brain-computer interface hardware.
Sonera’s first product, the S1 chip, was designed for muscle sensing.
Potential applications identified by the company have included controlling prosthetic devices and incorporating the technology into consumer wearables.
For Apple, the technology could potentially support future health and accessibility products.
Possible applications could include more advanced Apple Watch health monitoring, particularly around neuromuscular conditions, as well as new methods for controlling devices through muscle or neural activity.
Apple has already expanded accessibility support for emerging brain-computer interfaces through features such as Switch Control, while Apple Vision Pro has previously been demonstrated with implanted brain-interface systems.
Apple has not publicly announced the Sonera transaction.
AppleInsider reported that a European Union database covering acquisitions indicates that Apple acquired Sonera in May 2026, while Sonera’s website has subsequently been taken offline.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition gives Apple access to technology that could ultimately connect its health, wearable computing and accessibility initiatives with non-invasive neural and muscular sensing.
