Despite there being generally
a lot of hype around Elon Musk’s Neuralink, the neurotechnology company isn’t the only one developing innovative technologies in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Even Neuralink itself admits it is building on decades of previous research.
There are indeed many more companies and institutions trying to understand the human brain and develop procedures and products that allow patients suffering from diseases and severe injuries to improve their remaining lifetime.
As
The Guardian highlighted, one of neurological research hotspots is Australia where a few promising BCI-focused projects reside. One of these projects is a Melbourne company called Synchron, developing a brain-computer interface that allows patients to control their computers.
Synchron’s solution dubbed Stentrode has one big advantage over Neuralink: it can be put inside of patient’s skull without the need for open brain surgery.
The Stentrode looks like a tiny mesh, essentially a stent, that is inserted in the brain through the blood vessels using a catheter. The mesh contains electrodes that can pick up signals from the brain which can be then interpreted as commands, for example, mouse clicks.
Thanks to Stentrode, even patients with severe paralysis can resume daily tasks, including texting, emailing, shopping, and banking online.
www.neowin.net
