This Brain Computer Uses Your Jugular Like a USB Cable
A new way to insert neural implants doesn’t require brain surgery
Devices that would allow people to connect their brains directly to computers are getting a lot of attention from Silicon Valley lately. Last week, Facebook acquired the startup CTRL-Labs, which is developing a mind-reading wristband, and in July, Elon Musk’s Neuralink unveiled details about its brain chip, which the company eventually wants to embed in the brain through a quick procedure it compares to LASIK.
But Facebook and Neuralink’s plans to merge people with their devices will likely take several years to materialize. Wearables like what CTRL-Labs is developing rely on weaker neural signals and thus have shown less precise control. Brain implants promise more accuracy, but require highly specialized brain surgery, and pose a risk to patients.
Neurotechnology startup Synchron, based in Silicon Valley and Melbourne, Australia, may have found a way around these problems. The brain-computer interface company is testing whether a matchstick-sized neural implant that doesn’t require open brain surgery could allow paralyzed people the ability to control computers using only their thoughts.
“It conforms to the curvature of the blood vessel that…
