After Neuralink recently implanted its first brain-computer interface device in a human, we examine the technology’s potential to improve the lives of people with neurological disorders and disabilities.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to change lives.
BCIs are computer-based systems that acquire, analyse, and translate brain signals into commands that are relayed to an output device to carry out a desired action.
The concept of combining brains and technology has constantly stimulated people’s interest, and it has become a reality in recent times thanks to the progress made in the fields of neurology and engineering.
Indeed, until recently, the ability of humans to interact with, influence, or control external environments through thoughts alone was reserved for the realm of science fiction. However, the advancements in BCI technology now mean that electrical signals from the brain can be used to do just that.
Neuralink wants to bring the technology from the lab into people’s homes by developing ultra-high bandwidth BCIs to connect humans and computers.
With a mission to create a generalised brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow, the company is currently focused on giving quadriplegics the ability to control computers and mobile devices with their thoughts.
Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a form of paralysis that affects a person’s limbs and body from the neck down.
The most common cause of quadriplegia is an injury to the spinal cord, which causes a disruption in nerve signals travelling through the backbone, usually from the neck. Though it is sometimes treatable, in most cases, it results in permanent paralysis.
Neuralink’s approach is to keep in mind the people who will use its products, such as quadriplegics, emphasising safety, accessibility, and reliability during its engineering process.
SEAMLESS BCI EXPERIENCE
To restore independence and improve lives, Neuralink has built a seamless BCI experience that enables fast and reliable computer control and prioritises ease of use.
The first human received an implant from Neuralink on Sunday 28th January 2024, with the company’s Founder, Elon Musk, posting on his social media platform X that the “initial results show promising neuron spike detection”.
Spikes are activity by neurons, which are described as cells that use electrical and chemical signals to send information around the brain and to the body by the National Institute of Health.
The first implant follows an announcement in May 2023 that the company had received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to launch its first in-human clinical study, representing an important step in Neuralink’s mission.
The first goal is to give people with paralysis their digital freedom back, allowing them to communicate more easily via text messages, follow their curiosity on the internet, express their creativity through photography and art, and even play video games.
In the future, Neuralink hopes to improve the lives of those with neurological disorders and disabilities in other ways. For example, for people with paralysis, a BCI implant could also potentially be used to restore physical mobility by reading signals in the brain and using them to stimulate nerves and muscles in the body, thereby allowing the person to once again control their own limbs.
Neuralink also hopes to restore other capabilities, such as vision and speech, and eventually expand how we experience the world.
The company’s BCI is fully implantable, cosmetically invisible, and designed to let people control a computer or mobile device anywhere they go, using their thoughts alone.
The implant is hermetically sealed in a biocompatible enclosure that withstands physiological conditions several times harsher than those in the human body. It is powered by a small battery charged wirelessly from the outside via a compact, inductive charger that enables easy use from anywhere.
Advanced, custom, low-power chips and electronics process neural signals, transmitting them wirelessly to the Neuralink application, which decodes the data stream into actions and intents, allowing computers to be controlled with thoughts.
PINPOINT PRECISION
Neural activity is recorded by the implant through 1,024 electrodes distributed across 64 threads. These highly flexible threads are key to minimising damage during implantation and beyond.
A surgical robot reliably and efficiently inserts the threads and places them into the motor cortex, a part of the brain involved in planning and executing movements. The robot uses advanced imaging systems to detect the brain and insert threads away from blood vessels.
Prior research has shown that neurons in the brain’s motor cortex remain directionally tuned to movement intention, even in people with paralysis.
To make Neuralink implants a reality, the robot is an absolute necessity on two fronts. Firstly, the threads are so fine – thinner than a human hair – that they can’t be grasped, manipulated, and accurately inserted by a human surgeon. The pinpoint precision, along with high speed, that can only be provided by a robot is therefore required.
Secondly, scaling to millions of patients means that automation is needed not only for the insertion of threads, but also for the planning and execution of the rest of the surgery.
Neuralink’s technology builds on decades of research. Recent engineering advances in the field and new technologies developed at the company, such as the surgical robot, are paving the way for overcoming key technical hurdles in the development of BCIs.
