US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Elon Musk’s Neuralink chip for human trials
It aims to build a next-generation brain implant with at least 100 times more brain connections than devices currently approved by FDA.
About Brain–Computer Interface (BCI)
• It is a system that determines functional intent -
the desire to change, move, control, or interact with something in our environment - directly from brain activity.
In other words, BCIs allow to control an application or a device using only our mind.
• It has three main parts:
1 A device to detect and record signals coming from the brain.
2 A computer to process and analyze the recorded brain activity.
3 An application/device to control.
• Another important part of a BCI is feedback: the
system must somehow let the user know what decision or intended action the computer was able to interpret.
• Different techniques to measure brain activity for BCIs Electroencephalography (EEG)
✓ EEG is a test that measures electrical activity in the brain using small, metal discs (electrodes) attached to the scalp.
✓ Brain cells communicate via electrical impulses and are active all the time, even during asleep.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
✓ It works by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur in response to neural activity.
✓ When a brain area is more active it consumes more oxygen and to meet this increased demand, blood flow increases to the active area
Applications of BCI
• Helping people with physical disabilities and ageing: BCIs can enable precise control of prosthetic limbs, giving amputees natural motor skills. It can also help older people train their motor and cognitive abilities.
• Treatment for diseases: such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and spinal cord injuries. It also shows some promise for potential treatment of obesity, autism, depression, schizophrenia and tinnitus.
o Tinnitus is ringing or buzzing noise in one or both ears that may be constant or come and go, often associated with hearing loss.
• Facilitate brain research: Scientists could use BCIs to improve understanding of the brain. Some researchers have used a BCI to detect the emotions of patients in a vegetative or minimally conscious state.
• Improving human performance: BCIs can now be used as a neurofeedback training tool to improve cognitive performance, augment human capabilities and human-computer interactions.
BCI could be used to affect alertness and to improve subjects’ performance in a cognitively-demanding task.
Concerns related to BCI
• Technical and user challenges: Each person generates unique brain signals, which are difficult to measure clearly.
Also, Translation of brain signals to speech by a BCI could cause harm if it is not accurate.
• Data Privacy and Security: BCIs are vulnerable to cyberattacks as hackers could use malware to intercept brain-wave data generated by the device.
• Social impact: Reported costs of wearable BCIs range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, which may result in unequal access.
• Ethical issues: BCIs may raise questions about what constitutes consent and about potential unfair advantages conferred by certain human enhancements.
• Medical issues: BCIs may unintentionally influence other brain functions, or cause any unwanted side effects such as seizures, headaches, mood changes, or cognitive impairment
