Without risk, there is no reward.
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are advancing not only as an assistive technology, but have the potential to become mainstream. BCIs enable humans to transmit information from the brain with computers, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk launched a neurotechnology startup, Neuralink, to help people with paralysis and expand human abilities that will contribute to “our communities, and our world” according to the Neuralink website.
Neuralink seems like a science-fiction movie come to life. Our technology is advancing at a rapid rate and scientists will continue to develop Neuralink-type applications, which will ultimately make our society a better place.
This is not a new technology. BCI research began in the 1970s at University of California, Los Angeles as an application to assist with damaged sight, hearing and movement, according to an April 30, 2014 Brain Vision UK article.
In 2004, researchers at BrainGate, a research collaborative focusing on BCI technology, concluded humans could transmit signals to computers with no physical touch, according to Brown University News.
More than 150,000 people globally have had neural implants installed since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators approved deep-brain stimulation in 1997 to combat various diseases and disorders, according to the International Neuromodulation Society (INS).
The group is a nonprofit dedicated to the scientific development and awareness of neuromodulation, inhibiting the transmission of nerve impulses as defined by Merriam-Webster.
The core component of Neuralink’s technology is “The Link.” Elon Musk described it as “a Fitbit for your brain” in a livestreamed YouTube demonstration.
Neuralink created an automated robot surgeon that would implant The Link in one’s brain. The robot is steadier than a human hand, which is imperative as the threads that connect to the patient’s brain are thinner than a human hair. Its automation also means it has the potential to operate on “millions of patients,” according to Neuralink’s website.
Neuralink must meet safety requirements from the FDA to even begin human trials.
World-renowned neurologists and engineers are expected to work on this technology to make it as safe as possible. The initial goal for Neuralink is to aid people with paralysis, which is the loss of movement in one or more muscles, to gain independence through electronic devices, according to its website.
Nearly one in 50 people living in the U.S. are diagnosed with some form of paralysis, according to a 2009 survey conducted by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, a charity dedicated to treating and ending paralysis.
Neuralink is being developed as a medical device to help with a wide range of disorders, but the future may hold the potential for non-medical applications for BCIs, according to Neuralink’s Applications webpage.
The power of a single Google search takes about the same amount of computing as it did to land Neil Armstrong on the moon in the summer of 1969, according to an Aug. 28, 2012 Google Inside Search blog post.
Technology is advancing. Much like the idea of the television or airplane, Neuralink’s technology will become mainstream and widely accepted by society. Neuralink will help those with disabilities and advance as a technology to assist society as a whole.
