Latest news with #BCIs
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
How scientists built a password-protected mind-reading brain implant
Scientists have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) — a device that allows the human brain to communicate with external software or hardware — which works only when the user thinks of a preset password. The findings were detailed in a study, 'Inner speech in motor cortex and implications for speech neuroprostheses', published in the journal Cell on August 14. The new system was developed by researchers based at Stanford University (the United States). Here is a look at how scientists built a password-protected BCI. But first, why are brain-computer interfaces significant? BCIs allow the user to control an application or a device using only their mind. Usually, when someone wants to interact with an application — let's say, they want to switch on a lamp — they first have to decide what they want to do, then they coordinate and use the muscles in their arms, legs or feet to perform the action — like pressing the lamp's on/off switch with their fingers. Then, the device — in this case, the lamp — responds to the action. What BCIs do is help skip the second step of coordinating and using the muscles to perform an action. Instead, they use a computer to identify the desired action and then control the device directly. This is the reason why BCIs have emerged as promising tools for people with severe physical disabilities. They are also being used to restore speech in people who have limited reliable control over their muscles. How was a password-protected BCI developed? The researchers involved in the study focused on 'internal-speech' BCIs, which translate brain signals into text or audio. While these types of devices do not require users to speak out loud, there is always a risk that they could accidentally decode sentences users never intended to say. To resolve this issue, the researchers first 'analysed brain signals collected by microelectrodes placed in the motor cortex — the region involved in voluntary movements — of four participants,' according to a report by the journal Nature. All of these participants had trouble speaking and were asked to either try to say a set of words or imagine saying them. The researchers then analysed the recordings of participants' brain activity. This helped them discover that attempted and internal speech originated in the same brain region and generated similar neural signals, but those associated with internal speech were weaker. This data was used to train artificial intelligence models, which helped BCIs to interpret sentences imagined by the participants after they were asked to think of specific phrases. The devices correctly interpreted 74% of the imagined sentences. To ensure that the BCIs do not decode sentences that users do not intend to utter, the researchers added a password to the system, allowing users to control when decoding began. 'When a participant imagined the password 'Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang' (the name of an English-language children's novel), the BCI recognised it with an accuracy of more than 98%,' the Nature report said. (With inputs from Nature)
Euronews
4 days ago
- Health
- Euronews
How a brain-computer chip can read people's minds
An experimental brain implant can read people's minds, translating their inner thoughts into text. In an early test, scientists from Stanford University used a brain-computer interface (BCI) device to decipher sentences that were thought, but not spoken aloud. The implant was correct up to 74 per cent of the time. BCIs work by connecting a person's nervous system to devices that can interpret their brain activity, allowing them to take action – like using a computer or moving a prosthetic hand – with only their thoughts. They have emerged as a possible way for people with disabilities to regain some independence. Perhaps the most famous is Elon Musk's Neuralink implant, an experimental device that is in early trials testing its safety and functionality in people with specific medical conditions that limit their mobility. The latest findings, published in the journal Cell, could one day make it easier for people who cannot speak to communicate more easily, the researchers said. 'This is the first time we've managed to understand what brain activity looks like when you just think about speaking,' said Erin Kunz, one of the study's authors and a researcher at Stanford University in the United States. Working with four study participants, the research team implanted microelectrodes – which record neural signals – into the motor cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for speech. The researchers asked participants to either attempt to speak or to imagine saying a set of words. Both actions activated overlapping parts of the brain and elicited similar types of brain activity, though to different degrees. They then trained artificial intelligence (AI) models to interpret words that the participants thought but did not say aloud. In a demonstration, the brain chip could translate the imagined sentences with an accuracy rate of up to 74 per cent. In another test, the researchers set a password to prevent the BCI from decoding people's inner speech unless they first thought of the code. The system recognised the password with around 99 per cent accuracy. The password? 'Chitty chitty bang bang'. For now, brain chips cannot interpret inner speech without significant guardrails. But the researchers said more advanced models may be able to do so in the future. Frank Willett, one of the study's authors and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, said in a statement that BCIs could also be trained to ignore inner speech. 'This work gives real hope that speech BCIs can one day restore communication that is as fluent, natural, and comfortable as conversational speech,' he said.
NDTV
28-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Paralysed Neuralink Patient Writes Name Using Her Thoughts, Elon Musk Responds
A quadriplegic woman wrote her name for the first time in 20 years using her mind, thanks to a Neuralink brain chip implant. Audrey Crews, paralysed since the age of 16, shared the achievement in a post on X, writing, "I tried writing my name for the first time in 20 years. I'm working on it. Lol #Neuralink." A photo accompanying the post showed her name, "Audrey," scrawled in violet on a digital whiteboard, controlled entirely by her mind. I tried writing my name for the first time in 20 years. Im working on it. Lol #Neuralink — Audrey Crews (@NeuraNova9) July 26, 2025 "She is controlling her computer just by thinking," Elon Musk, founder of the brain-chip company, wrote on X. "Most people don't realise this is possible." She is controlling her computer just by thinking. Most people don't realize this is possible. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 27, 2025 Founded by Musk in 2016 to develop advanced brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), Neuralink uses a coin-sized brain chip. It is implanted surgically beneath the skull, with ultra-thin threads inserted into the brain's motor cortex. The chip reads and interprets brain activity, allowing users to control digital devices, such as a computer cursor or keyboard, using only their thoughts. Audrey Crews, who recently underwent surgery at the University of Miami Health Center, described the BCI implant in a follow-up post. "Here's more information about how my BCI, brain computer interface, implant works and my surgery," she wrote. "They drilled a hole in my skull and placed 128 threads into my motor cortex. The chip is about the size of a quarter. The staff... treated me like a VIP." Here's more information about how my BCI, brain computer interface, implant works and my surgery. I had surgery last week and everything is going amazing. It was brain surgery, they drilled a hole in my skull and placed 128 threads into my motor cortex. The chip is about the size… — Audrey Crews (@NeuraNova9) July 28, 2025 She clarified that the technology is not meant to restore her ability to walk. "It's strictly for telepathy only," she said. "The BCI lets me control my computer using my mind. I'll be able to control more electronic devices in the near future." Asked about what's next, she replied, "Hopefully write a book about my journey. I've been a quadriplegic since the age of 16 so I have lots to tell." Hopefully write a book about my journey. Iv been a quadriplegic since the age of 16 so i have lots to tell. — Audrey Crews (@NeuraNova9) July 28, 2025 Neuralink implanted its first chip in a human last year after receiving regulatory approval for human trials. This uses a surgical robot to insert the chip into the part of the brain that controls the intention to move. The company at the time said their goal was to allow patients to control a cursor or keyboard with their thoughts, as per Reuters. Neuralink is also collaborating on a clinical trial with researchers in California and Spain aimed at developing visual prosthetics. The trial is exploring a potential " Smart Bionic Eye" that could help blind individuals recognise faces, navigate outdoor environments, and read. The device would rely on artificial intelligence. The study's listing indicates Neuralink patients will be included "once available." Elon Musk has long promoted Neuralink as a frontier technology that could ultimately treat conditions such as obesity, depression, autism, and schizophrenia. He also revealed the company's ambitions to launch a vision-restoring chip called Blindsight, which has been tested on monkeys but not yet in humans. Neuralink aims to roll out Blindsight by 2030 and projects up to $1 billion in annual revenue from its suite of neural devices by 2031, Bloomberg reported.
India Today
28-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
Elon Musk's Neuralink lets paralysed woman write her name after 20 years using only her mind
Earlier this month, Neuralink, the brain–computer interface (BCI) company founded by Elon Musk, announced that it had successfully completed two implant surgeries in a single day for the first time. The company shared that both procedures were carried out on the same day and that the patients are now recovering. 'We successfully completed both P8 and P9 this weekend, our first time performing two surgeries in one day,' the company wrote in its post on X (formerly Twitter). Following up on this announcement, one of the recipients of the Neuralink implant has now shared that she is able to write her name and play games on a computer for the first time in 20 of the recipients of the Neualink implant, Audrey Crews, who has identified herself as 'P9', is now sharing her progress publicly. 'I would like to announce that I am P9. I am the first woman in the world with a Neuralink BCI. I can't wait for the world to meet me and follow me on my journey,' she wrote on revealed that she has been paralysed for 20 years and underwent the surgery in the hope of regaining some abilities. Now after the surgery, she reveals that she is now able to write her name for the first time since her injury. 'I tried writing my name for the first time in 20 years. I'm working on it,' she posted. In a follow-up post, Crews revealed that she underwent brain surgery to receive the Neuralink implant at the University of Miami Health Centre. The procedure involved drilling a small hole in her skull and meticulously placing 128 threads into her motor cortex. Notably, doctors use robotic assistance during the procedure to ensure greater precision. The chip itself is roughly the size of a 10p then shared that the surgery had been a success and that everything was progressing 'amazingly'. 'The BCI lets me control my computer using my mind. I'll be able to control more electronic devices in the near future. I also want to clarify that this implant will not allow me to walk again or regain movement. It's strictly for telepathy only,' she Musk, also shared Crews' story and commented on X: 'She is controlling her computer just by thinking. Most people don't realise this is possible.' But how exactly does the Neuralink implant work?Founded in 2016, Neuralink is developing implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). At the core of the system is a small device, referred to as 'The Link' or the 'N1 Implant', which is surgically placed in the skull. From this implant, thin, flexible threads are positioned into specific regions of the brain, particularly the motor cortex, which is involved in movement threads contain electrodes designed to detect and record the electrical signals generated by neurons. When an individual thinks of an action – in Crews' case, what she describes as 'telepathy' – their neurons produce specific electrical patterns. The Neuralink implant captures these neural signals and transmits them wirelessly to an external device, such as a on the external device then interpret these brain signals, converting them into commands that can operate digital interfaces. In Audrey Crews' case, her thoughts are translated into actions on a computer screen, allowing her to manipulate a cursor, type, or interact with software without any physical has previously shared that the primary aim of Neuralink at this stage is to provide individuals with severe paralysis or neurological conditions a way to interact with digital devices purely by thought. Crews herself has been posting regular updates on her recovery, showing how she is able to do things like play games, write her name and even draw on a computer screen – all simply by thinking.- Ends
Euronews
22-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Neuralink implants brain-computer device into ninth participant
Neuralink said it implanted its brain-computer interface (BCI) device in its eighth and ninth participants over the weekend. The Elon Musk-owned company aims to help paralysed people use their computers and smartphones using only their thoughts. It works by connecting a person's nervous system to devices that can interpret their brain activity. This was the first time the neurotechnology company did two surgeries in one day, Neuralink said on the Musk-owned social media platform X. 'Both participants are recovering well and in great spirits,' the company said. 'We are looking forward to supporting them on their Neuralink journey'. The company did not disclose additional details about the participants' health or locations. Neuralink said in 2023 that US regulators had given it permission to test its device in people. The company implanted its first device in January 2024, in a man who was paralysed after a spinal cord injury. The implant made it possible for him to play video games and chess. After the third person got a Neuralink implant in January, Musk said he hoped it would be given to 20 to 30 more people this year. Other participants have also had spinal cord injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which over time erodes patients' ability to move their arms, legs, and body. Neuralink's device is still in early clinical trials, testing the implant's initial safety and functionality in people with specific medical conditions that limit their mobility. But Musk has hyped it as a tool that could one day have much broader appeal. 'Neuralink will do live-changing [sic] good for ultimately millions, maybe billions, of people,' Musk wrote on X after the latest surgeries were announced. 'Imagine your loved one being able to walk again or your parent with dementia being able to recognise their child again,' he added. Neuralink is one of several companies working on BCIs. Other studies are exploring their use for people with cerebral palsy, dementia, stroke, and other health issues, according to a US clinical trials database.
