While Elon Musk and the Neuralink team are attempting to obtain FDA approval to test their Neuralink BCIs on humans and have them authorised for medical usage, US company have surpassed them and implanted 50 chips successfully into people's brains. The NeuroPort Array was developed by Blackrock Neurotech, a firm whose scientists are confident that it would significantly improve the quality of life for people with depression, paralysis, and other illnesses.
The company wants to make it possible for people with the implant to steer robotic arms and powered wheelchairs by using their thoughts. According to Blackrock Neurotech co-founder Marcus Gerhardt, "We are the only company with direct-brain BCI implants in humans." He continued by saying that the company's implantable arrays enable users to communicate directly with computers, operate wheelchairs and robotic arms, play video games, and even regain sensation by utilising only brain impulses.
The device reads the electrical signals produced by the implanted person's brain using 100 tiny needles to access their thoughts.
The implant then records these signals and applies machine learning to interpret them. Blackrock Neurotech will need FDA permission for use in the general public before it can incorporate the implant into tools and enhance people's lives. According to Marcus Gerhardt, the main goal of this medical equipment is to increase the independence and movement of paralysed people, which will subsequently enhance their quality of life.
Gerhardt added that people can create new lives with BCIs for home usage that were previously thought to be impractical because of their disability. The implant will let people get back to work, gain more freedom, and interact with the outside world in fresh and significant ways.
Due to his involvement in a serious vehicle accident in 2004, Nathan Copeland, who received the implant in 2014, is a pioneer in this technology. Copeland, who had a catastrophic spinal injury, was able to get sensory feedback via intracortical microstimulation thanks to the implant, according to the Blackrock Neurotech website. Copeland claimed that because of his accident, which limited his ability to move about and engage with his surroundings, using the implant was a highly fulfilling and thrilling experience.
However, this discovery is an indication of major advancements in this field. As a result, those who deal with severe disabilities and other difficulties might live longer and with a higher quality of life.
