Neural Interfaces: The Race to Connect Brains to Computers
Brain-computer interfaces move from science fiction to clinical trials, promising to restore mobility and enhance cognition.
Dr. Elena Volkov
Neurotechnology Analyst
The boundary between human and machine is blurring. Neural interface technology, once confined to science fiction, is now in advanced clinical trials with results that exceed even optimistic predictions.
Companies like Neuralink, Synchron, and Paradromics are developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that could restore mobility to paralyzed patients, return speech to those who've lost it, and potentially enhance cognitive abilities in healthy individuals.
Recent trials have shown remarkable success. A patient with ALS was able to communicate at 62 words per minute using only their thoughts. Another, paralyzed from the neck down, controlled a robotic arm with precision sufficient to feed themselves.
But the technology raises profound ethical questions. If BCIs can enhance cognition, will they create a new form of inequality between the augmented and unaugmented? What happens to privacy when thoughts can be read? And who owns the data generated by our brains?
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