A brain implant thinner than a single human hair could allow you to use social media with your MIND
Scientists have developed a brain implant thinner than a human hair that would allow you to use social media with your mind.
The highly experimental chip is designed for paralyzed or mute patients with paralysis who cannot use their limbs to communicate via a computer.
But it could also allow healthy people to use social media with the power of their minds alone.
It differs from Elon Musk’s brain implant in that the procedure is less invasive and the chip sits on the surface of the brain rather than in the tissue.
The implantation of the device in the skull is reversible if patients change their mind or wish to receive a newer version in the future
The chip transmits this data wirelessly to computers or smartphones and translates it into clicks and keystrokes on a phone or computer in real time
The implant, called Layer 7 Cortical Interface, is a strip of flexible, thin film material like a piece of tape.
The strip is electroded and one-fifth the thickness of a human hair, allowing it to conform to the brain’s surface without damaging tissue.
To implant the device, surgeons make a very thin slit in the skull and push it in like putting a letter in a box.
Precision CEO Michael Mager told CNBC the slit is less than a millimeter thick, meaning patients don’t even need to have their heads shaved to have it inserted.
He said: “I think that’s a big advantage compared to technologies that require, for example, a craniotomy, where a significant part of the skull is removed, which takes a lot of time and has a high risk of infection. I’ve never met anyone who wanted to drill a hole in their skull.’
The device collects brain signals, interprets them and, depending on the brain signal received, issues commands to a connected machine.
Because scientists can easily increase the number of electrodes on the strip, it could be used to treat other neurological disorders.
The implantation is also reversible if patients change their minds.
The device has successfully decoded brain signals in animals, and Precision hopes to receive FDA approval to test the implant in humans in the next few months.