Signal Radar: Signal Radar: Will we soon be controlling video games with our minds?
We may soon be able to wirelessly transmit detailed brain activity using sophisticated neural implants, paving the way for human mind control over computers, prosthetic limbs and other machines.
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Researchers across the world have been experimenting with surgically implanted Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) in humans for over a decade. Those who have received brain implants so far have done so as part of medical experiments or for research purposes.
However, most systems developed to date have had limited use outside of the lab, often requiring a physical connection to external hardware to provide insight. This may be about to change. Self-contained brain implants developed by Elon Musk’s Neuralink include a battery, processing chip, and Bluetooth radio, enabling wireless functionality.
The tiny implant the company has developed has more than 3,000 electrodes, attached to flexible threads measuring about a tenth of the size of a hair, capable of monitoring about 1,000 neurons.
So far Neuralink have tested these implants on monkeys and pigs. At the beginning of February, Elon Musk claimed that Neuralink has successfully wired up a Monkey’s brain so that it can play computer games with its mind.
The ultimate aim of the company is to create an advanced BCI. Neuralink's head surgeon, Dr Matthew MacDougall has said the first human trials will focus on patients with paralysis or paraplegia. According to the company, the technology could contribute to finding a cure for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
More ambitiously, Musk hopes to develop a ‘save state’ in the brain which would enable transfer of our personalities and memories to another human or robot body.
Questions remain about the potential long-term impact of constant connectivity on brain tissue and the ability of sophisticated algorithms to decode neural activity.
Are our digital footprints about to get a whole lot more accurate?