Computer Brain Chip

 Synchron says it's the first to implant a human brain-computer interface in the US

According to an article from Yahoo news, “Brain-computer interfaces have become a practical (if limited) reality in the US. Synchron says it has become the first in the country to implant a BCI in a human patient. Doctors in New York's Mount Sinai West implanted the company's Stentrode in the motor cortex of a participant in Synchron's COMMAND trial, which aims to gauge the usefulness and safety of BCIs for providing hands-free device control to people with severe paralysis. Ideally, technology like Stentrode will offer independence to people who want to email, text, and otherwise handle digital tasks that others take for granted.

Surgeons installed the implant using an endovascular procedure that avoids the intrusiveness of open-brain surgery by going through the jugular vein. The operation went "extremely well" and let the patient return home 48 hours later, according to Synchron. An ongoing Australian trial has also proven successful so far, with four patients still safe a year after receiving their implants.

It may take a long time before doctors can offer Synchron's BCIs to patients. The company received FDA approval for human trials in July 2021, and it's still expanding the COMMAND trial as of this writing. Still, the US procedure represents a significant step toward greater autonomy for people with paralysis. It also represents a competitive victory — Elon Musk's Neuralink has yet to receive FDA permission for its own implant.”

This is exciting news for someone like me, who requires the use of technology for everyday processes (including using my computer.) I depend on speech recognition software to write, browse the web, control household activities, etc. This would also give people in my situation more independence, as they wouldn’t have to rely on others to help them. There might come a day when this implant may become available to the public. 

It’s an interesting concept. Technology is always evolving and advancing. Nothing is ever going to stay the same. Companies are always working on different and easier ways to do things. According to an article on the Tech Evaluate website, “technology is evolving so fast because of a phenomenon known as Accelerating Change. Each technological improvement can create the next, stronger generations of technology at a faster rate. As each generation of technology is better than the last, it builds new technology faster.”

Ultimately, I believe massive, future technological changes are still yet to come. With every new advancement comes an easier way to do things. For someone who’s life is dependent on so many other people to do things for them, the more independence that’s out there, the easier it will be to do things themselves.

Jenni