The brain-computer interface is a reality: Last month Synchron implanted a brain-computer interface (BCI) in a patient in New York who was paralyzed due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  This is the first human trial authorized in the U.S. and joins four other patients currently being evaluated in Australia. These patients have been able to perform actions such as chatting on WhatsApp, controlling a computer cursor, or shopping online using only their brainwaves and their eyes.

The device, called Stentrode, is implanted using a catheter and does not require opening the skull for implantation, unlike other alternatives that have been approved by U.S. authorities for decades. This makes it less invasive and safer than the older method, a technology from the 1990s that requires opening the skull and implanting electrodes in the brain tissue.

The Stentrode is connected via wires to a computer that is implanted under the skin in the patient's chest and that amplifies brain signals and sends them to a computer or smartphone via Bluetooth.

The technology is still in the early stages of development, but these tests are primarily aimed at analyzing how the human body reacts to the implant and how clearly brain signals are received. The developers’ goal is to reduce the size of the Stentrode so that a greater number of devices can be implanted in potential patients and expand the system’s ability to interpret and transmit brain signals.

You can learn more about this device HERE