Reference News, July 9 report - According to the U.S. Quartz Finance website on July 7, after more than 50 years of research, brain implant technology has quietly evolved from a laboratory curiosity into a practical tool that truly changes lives.
Currently, seven people have implanted brain chips from the U.S. company "Neuralink," which allows them to control computers, design 3D components, and even continue working despite severe paralysis. At the same time, competitors such as the U.S. company Paradromics have also achieved the first human implants, while researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a system that can convert thoughts directly into speech within just 10 milliseconds. These advances are impressive, although the technology still faces numerous obstacles before achieving its most ambitious goals.
This transformation is most evident in the life of Neuralink's first patient, Noland Arbo. He became paralyzed below the shoulders in a diving accident. In the initial stages after surgery, he mainly used the brain implant to play games. But now, his use of the implant goes far beyond entertainment, focusing more on sending and receiving emails, editing websites, researching, banking, and other daily tasks—essentially re-establishing personal independence through digital means.
Abo recently told the U.S. "PC Magazine" that, "I've always been looking for ways to improve my life and support myself."
This shift from novelty to necessity reflects the broader maturation of brain-computer interface technology.
Although Neuralink has attracted the most attention due to the strong promotional power of its owner Elon Musk and a recent $650 million funding round, it is not alone in this field. The company faces fierce competition from multiple rivals, each employing different technological approaches, which may determine who can open the market first.
Last month, Paradromics completed the first human implant, marking an important milestone for this startup based in Austin. The company's brain chip has 1,600 electrodes, while Neuralink has only 1,024. Precision Neuroscience, co-founded by former Neuralink executive Ben Rapoport, uses a less invasive method, placing a film on the surface of the brain rather than penetrating it. The company has already received limited use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year. The biotechnology company "Synchron" has already implanted its devices in 10 people, with the implantation not requiring the skull to be fully opened, but instead passing electrodes through blood vessels. Supported by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, it will soon become the first brain-computer interface that can connect to Apple devices via Bluetooth.
Recent developments indicate that this technology is thriving. The speech synthesis system developed by the University of California, Davis team represents a fundamental shift from previous methods. Instead of converting brain signals into text and then synthesizing speech (a process that causes significant delays), this system directly converts thoughts into sound almost instantly, with a delay of only 10 milliseconds.
At the same time, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have used non-invasive electroencephalography technology to allow users to wear a hat that can read brain signals through the skull, enabling real-time control of a single robotic finger. This suggests that in certain applications, future brain-computer interfaces may not require surgery at all.
Despite significant progress, there are still major obstacles before brain-computer interfaces become mainstream medical devices. Although the speech system from the University of California, Davis is promising, its word error rate in open transcription tests is still as high as 43.75%—which, although better than the patient's natural speech, is still far from perfect communication.
In addition to improving accuracy, companies must also address cybersecurity and privacy challenges, protecting neural data that may represent the most private information of humans, while ensuring that artificial intelligence algorithms can reliably decode thoughts under different patients and conditions.
Nevertheless, industry executives are increasingly confident about advancing from clinical trials to commercialization. Several companies expect to launch their first generation of products in the market within two to three years.
For now, this technology represents something not so profound but highly significant: helping those who have lost control of their bodies to regain independent living. Arbo and others testing these devices are pioneers of potential larger-scale changes in human capabilities.
Translation by Wang Diqing
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7525056002123661864/
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