Brain-Computer Interface

 A speech prosthetic developed by a collaborative team of Duke neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, and engineers can translate a person’s brain signals into what they’re trying to say.

Appearing Nov. 6 in the journal Nature Communications, the new technology might one day help people unable to talk due to neurological disorders regain the ability to communicate through a brain-computer interface.

Elon Musk's Neuralink received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its first-in-human clinical trial which has been developing a device surgically inserted into the brain by a robot and capable of decoding brain activity and linking it to computers. Up until now, the company has conducted research only in animals. Read more on why this is a critical milestone for the brain-implant startup.

A system which can translate human brain activity into actions without any physical movement is being developed by a neurotech firm called Cogitat. Read more about the brain-computer interface by Cogitat.

New Caltech research is showing how devices implanted into people’s brains, called brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), can help predict a person’s internal monologue. The technology could be used to assist those affected with speech to effectively communicate. Read more about BMI predicting internal speech.

A participant, paralyzed and unable to speak or type, of the Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice trial at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) was able to spell out over 1,000 words using a neuroprosthetic device that translates his brain waves into full sentences. Researchers were able to decode him silently miming the 26 letters of the phonetic alphabet. Read more about Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice trial

A novel brain-computer interface developed by a New York-based company called Synchron was used to help a paralyzed patient send messages using their Apple device. Inserted just into the top of the brain’s motor cortex via blood vessels, the Synchron Switch is the only device that the FDA has approved to undergo clinical trials as a permanently implanted brain-computer interface. Read more about Synchron Switch.

Implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) promise to be a viable means to restore communication in individuals with locked-in syndrome (LIS). For future clinical implementation of implantable communication-BCIs, there is a need to validate systems in daily life settings with more participants, and to improve the speed of communication.

Augmentative and alternative communication brain-computer interface (AAC-BCI) systems are intended to offer communication access to people with severe speech and physical impairment (SSPI) without requiring volitional movement. The aims of this systematic review were to (1) describe study, system, and participant characteristics reported in BCI research, (2) summarize the communication task performance of participants with disabilities using AAC-BCI systems, and (3) explore any differences in performance for participants with and without disabilities.

BCI manufacturer Blackrock Neurotech and the University of Pittsburgh are working together to make studies more accessible to persons with paralysis with the use of a compact, remote Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system that can be used at home. Read more about the new BCI.