Technology has come a long way in the medical field. What was seen as impossible before is now what's commonly used. The same can be said for controlling a computer using one's brain, but what was once a sci-fi movie scenario is becoming a reality.
Solving the Accessibility Problem
The technology behind brain-computer interfaces is not new. A lot of tech billionaires like Elon Musk are already working to develop it further to help people with disabilities. However, there is an issue when it comes to accessibility, particularly in calibrations.
Our brains are not the same, and that's especially true for people who have suffered brain impairment which affected motor abilities. Researchers from the University of Texas have found a way to create an interface that will no longer need calibration for every single user.
It is what the research paper mentions as a "decoder trained on the data of a single expert" which is readily transferrable to inexperienced users via domain adaptation techniques, allowing calibration-free BCI training," as mentioned in Interesting Engineering.
While calibration for each person doesn't seem like that much of a bother, it is a major factor that can contribute to why the brain-computer interface (BCI) might not be more widely used to improve a person's quality of life.
"When we think about this in a clinical setting, this technology will make it so we won't need a specialized team to do this calibration process, which is long and tedious. It will be much faster to move from patient to patient," University's Cockrell School of Engineering professor Satyam Kumar said.
As shown in the photo, the interface can be operated with the use of a cap that is fitted with electrodes, all of which are linked to a computer. It works by detecting electrical signals from the brain and interprets them into action.
The mentioned decoder is created by an expert amidst exercises like balancing a digital bar on a computer. This will allow the interface to better convert brain waves into commands, eliminating the need for a longer calibration process.
What Makes It Different with Neuralink?
Both have the ultimate goal of helping people with physical disabilities that limit their motor function. However, the BCI device used by the researchers from the University of Texas is simply worn, while Neuralink's is implanted in a patient's brain.
With surgery involved and having to plant a foreign device on someone's brain, Neuralink has a lot more red tape to cut through before it becomes approved. So far, the company has already moved on to human trials, which is a huge step for its development.
According to Neuralink founder Elon Musk, the first patient was already able to move a computer mouse using just their brain. IGN even reported that the patient managed to play a video game using the implant all night.
The 29-year-old patient, Noland Arbaugh said that it was like "using the force on the curser." The patient has been a complete quadriplegic for eight years and decided to volunteer for the trial saying that he wanted to participate in something that "could change the world."
