Connor Glass (Phantom Neuro): 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Connor Glass is a pioneering medical doctor, biomedical researcher, and entrepreneur known primarily as the Founder and CEO of Phantom Neuro, a neurotechnology company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Phantom Neuro focuses on creating innovative muscle-machine interfaces that give intuitive, lifelike control of robotic prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons, transforming the lives of individuals with limb differences and mobility impairments. Glass, who trained in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has redirected his career toward developing minimally invasive neural interfaces that bridge advanced robotics with human neuromuscular systems. Over the coming sections, explore key facts about Connor Glass's background, his innovative leadership at Phantom Neuro, the cutting-edge technology his company develops, their clinical progress and partnerships, as well as the broader impact and future potential of their work.

1. Early Life and Medical Training

Connor Glass graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and subsequently undertook a research fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Originally aspiring to become a neurosurgeon and driven by a passion to help people with limb injuries regain function, Glass pivoted mid-training from traditional surgery toward neurotechnology. His exposure to cutting-edge brain implant research and the limitations of prosthetic technology inspired him to found Phantom Neuro—to create solutions impacting a larger population of patients beyond the individual surgical interventions he practiced.

2. The Foundation of Phantom Neuro

Phantom Neuro was created in 2020 as a spinout from Johns Hopkins University, combining expertise in neuroscience, surgery, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Glass's vision was to develop a scalable, minimally invasive muscle-machine interface that allows users to control robotic prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons with near-natural precision. Phantom Neuro’s goal is to transform prosthetic limbs from mechanical devices to extensions of the human body by decoding electrical signals from muscles and translating them into intuitive control signals for robotics.

3. Phantom Neuro’s Breakthrough Technology: Phantom X

At the core of Phantom Neuro's innovation is the Phantom X platform, a minimally invasive neural interface implanted just beneath the skin in an outpatient procedure. Instead of directly interfacing with the brain, Phantom X captures electrical activity from muscles, which naturally generate larger and cleaner signals than neural tissues, enabling precise, lifelike control without requiring brain surgery. This approach is less risky, more accessible, and can be performed by over 70,000 outpatient-trained surgeons rather than specialized neurosurgeons. Phantom X utilizes AI algorithms to decode muscle signals with breathtaking accuracy, demonstrated at 94% in recognizing 11 distinct hand and wrist movements.

4. Clinical and Preclinical Progress

Preclinical studies included animal testing where Phantom Neuro successfully implanted devices in pigs to record muscle activity and control virtual robotic limbs, demonstrating robust real-time control with wireless communications. The company has completed surface recording clinical trials under IRB approval and planned to commence first implantable human clinical trials in 2025, starting with upper limb amputees in Australia. These trials aim to validate safety, efficacy, and compatibility with commercially available robotic prosthetics.

5. Strategic Partnerships and Funding

Phantom Neuro has raised over $28 million in venture funding, including a $19 million Series A round led by Ottobock, a leading global prosthetics and exoskeleton manufacturer, who also joined Phantom Neuro’s board to accelerate commercialization. Additional investors include Blackrock Neurotech, Breakout Ventures, Draper Associates, LionBird Ventures, and Time BioVentures. These partnerships bolster Phantom Neuro’s research and development, allowing expansion of clinical programs, regulatory submissions, and broadening applications beyond prosthetic limbs to other assistive devices.

6. Innovative Use of Internet of Things (IoT) Wi-Fi Technology

Phantom Neuro integrates cutting-edge Internet of Things Wi-Fi technology into its implantable systems, enabled through collaboration with Austin-based Silicon Labs. This novel wireless connectivity solution supports high-bandwidth, low-power transmissions critical for real-time control of robotic devices, marking Phantom Neuro as one of the earliest companies to harness IoT Wi-Fi for implantable medical devices. This advancement supports seamless, reliable, and secure communication for the neural interface outside the clinic.

7. The CEO's Vision for Human Augmentation

Connor Glass envisions a future where prosthetic limbs not only restore but surpass natural human limb function. He imagines robotic limbs that adjust to users’ evolving lifestyles—from high-performance for young individuals to enhanced stabilization for seniors—and interchangeable attachments for specialized tasks. Glass has openly discussed the company's mission to enhance functional outcomes and to break the gap between sophisticated robotics and meaningful everyday utility for amputees and people with mobility impairments.

8. Phantom Neuro’s FDA Designations and Regulatory Path

In early 2025, Phantom Neuro received two prestigious FDA designations: Breakthrough Device and Targeted Acceleration Pathway (TAP). These affirm the technology’s potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and facilitate an accelerated regulatory review process. These recognitions mark important milestones in advancing Phantom X toward commercialization, reflecting confidence in the minimally invasive approach and its clinical benefits.

9. Community Impact and Patient Stories

Phantom Neuro’s technology holds promise to increase prosthetic adoption and satisfaction by offering intuitive control previously unavailable with conventional devices. Prosthetic users like Alex Smith, who lost an arm as a child, have experienced frustration with limited control and delayed movements from current systems. Phantom Neuro’s implant and muscle interface aim to restore near-natural function and responsiveness, improving quality of life, fostering independence, and reducing prosthetic abandonment rates.

10. Contact and Corporate Information

Phantom Neuro is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a growing team of multidisciplinary experts in neuroscience, engineering, surgery, and AI. The company emphasizes user-centric design, scalability, and accessibility in its products. For direct contact, Phantom Neuro uses official communications through their @phantomneuro.com email domain and their website www.phantomneuro.com. The company actively recruits innovation-driven professionals and communicates transparently about legitimate recruitment and interview processes to combat fraud.

Conclusion

Dr. Connor Glass's journey from clinician and researcher to neurotech entrepreneur embodies a transformative vision for the future of prosthetics and human-machine interfaces. Through Phantom Neuro's groundbreaking Phantom X platform and strategic partnerships, he is pioneering accessible, minimally invasive solutions that restore and enhance mobility for amputees and individuals with functional disabilities. As clinical trials advance and regulatory milestones are reached, Phantom Neuro stands poised to redefine the prosthetics landscape—turning once science-fictional visions of lifelike robotic limbs into reality. This evolution sparks profound questions about the future convergence of biology and technology: How will these enhancements shape human experience and potential in the decades to come?