Brain Computer Interfaces are suddenly all the rage. First came Elon Musk’s Neuralink implant. Then earlier this week I wrote about alternate approaches from Facebook’s wristbands to utilizing ultrasound. Now, comes word of yet another new BCI approach: using nanoparticles.
Futurism explains:
“Instead of getting invasive neural implants needled into your brain, doctors may someday be able to flood your head with millions of nanoparticles that can read your neural signals from inside and relay them to a nearby computer.
At least, that’s the future that University of Miami engineer Sakhrat Khizroev is hoping for. He’s developed magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) that can travel through your bloodstream, permeat your brain, and read individual neurons’ signals in a way that can be picked up by a specialized helmet, according to a university press release.
In short, it’s a tool that could drastically change the way scientists approach brain-computer interface tech by taking away invasive, localized probes and replacing them with millions of particles that are injected like any other shot and can cover the entire brain — and one that’s already attracting interest from the military.
‘Right now, we’re just scratching the surface,’ Khizroev said in the press release. ‘We can only imagine how our everyday life will change with such technology.'”
Sounds promising! In fact, I have to admit that I kind of like this approach the best since it would be easy to administer and could cover the entire brain at once. Either way, it’s clear that we will eventually have BCI tech in our lives in some form or fashion in the near future. We’ll just have to wait and see which approach wins out.
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