Uses and Hopes
Various experiments, products, and companies.
Neuralink
Neuralink's mission is to 'Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.'
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Elon Musk's Neuralink hopes to cure paralysis, blindness, and various mental illnesses. They also hope to improve the quality of life by connecting humans to devices, allowing them to use them speedily and effortlessly.
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They have also recently recieved FDA approval for human testing, despite animal testing concerns.
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Synchron
Synchron's mission is to 'create an endovascular implant that can transfer information from every corner of the brain at scale.'
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Their trademarked devices is the stentrode™, which is an array of electrodes that go through blood vessels in the brain. They aim to cure paralysis as well.
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They are the first company to get an FDA IED for permanent BCI implants.
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BrainNet
BrainNet utilizes brain stimulation to create a very basic form of telepathy. In the BrainNet experiment, senders looked at a screen that said ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ The two options flashed at different frequencies, causing different steady-state visual-evoked potentials, which are event-related potentials for visual stimuli. The brain waves caused by these were then interpreted and then sent to the receiver’s BCI. The receiver’s BCI then caused a phosphene, which is a perceived flash of light, depending on what the sender looked at.
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Kernel
Kernel's mission is to 'accelerate treatment discovery, improve patient outcomes, and transform neuromedicine.'
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'Kernel Flow is the first and only multimodal neuroimaging headset that combines high resolution optical hemodynamic imaging, providing fMRI-like cortical measures, with EEG measures, providing advanced, multi-modal data for comprehensive insights.'
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In simple terms, Kernel's headset aims to make recording brain data easier, as well as provide a detailed recording of many types of data simultaneously.
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Cochlear Implant
Cochlear implants are the most widely used BCI. They stimulate the auditory nerve with electrodes in the cochlea.
Other Uses and Goals
Like stated above, BCIs are being made to treat illnesses associated with the brain, like depression or epilepsy. BCIs can cure paralysis by identifying brain waves associated with movement, and then stimulating the associated limb (using a device like the neural dust shown above). BCIs can also be used to alert people when their attention trails off. BCIs can also connect to any device if the developers choose so.
Once they get advanced enough, it may be possible to enhance intelligence and memory.