In recent years, two companies – Neuralink and Synchron – have developed devices that can be implanted into a patient’s brain, allowing them to use digital devices without the use of their hands
A doctor who helped develop a microchip that can convert brain signals into actions has claimed their Stentrode device could help around 100 million people. Neurologist Tom Oxley, who leads start up Synchron, has claimed his device could help millions of people around the world who are unable to use their arms.
His claim follows a successful test in which someone with ALS – a form of motor neurone disease – was able to write a message after the microchip was fitted, despite being unable to use their arms. The device, which takes around 20 minutes to install into the human body, has received funding from the likes of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.
The device sits alongside other brain-computer projects like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which is also aiming to help people who are unable to use their limbs, either because of injury or other health conditions.
However, those behind the Stentrode say that unlike Neuralink, which involves a hole being drilled into the patient’s skull, their device is less invasive and could be done as an out-patient procedure, reports The Times.
One of the main figures behind what has been described as a ‘Stentrode’, Nicholas Opie, added that one of the big surprises during development was what patients were aiming to achieve. Instead of asking for an exoskeleton, he said what they really wanted to do was to be able to use a smartphone.
Mr Opie explained: “They can go online and do their shopping and banking and communicate with their loved ones.”
What the technology also enables patients to do, is to resume or begin communication with their loved ones, if an injury or disease has restricted their ability to do so. Earlier this year, a patient with ALS was able to control an Amazon Alexa device with the technology.
In a statement about his experience, the patient, a 64-year-old man called Mark, described manipulating the technology. He said: “The integration with smart technology and my BCI is something I’m really excited about.
“To be able to manage important aspects of my environment and control access to entertainment gives me back the independence that I’m losing.”
As Synchron continues its trials, so too is Neuralink with the company’s founder Elon Musk continuing his speculation about the future of human-computer integration. Writing on X earlier this year, he claimed that his device could be used by millions of people in the future.
He wrote: “If all goes well, there will be hundreds of people with Neuralinks within a few years, maybe tens of thousands within five years, millions within 10 years.”