Brain-Computer Interface

The BCI Pioneers Coalition will center on the unique experience of Ian Burkhart, a former Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) study participant at Ohio State University, and his peers. The coalition is a grassroots effort by BCI users to center the discussion on patient experiences, led by the patients. Read more about the BCI Pioneers Coalition.

A company focused on BCI, Synchron is developing electronic devices that aims to help persons with paralysis control their body, and the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) company has big ambitions for the future of BCI and has begun enrolling patients into the first clinical trial of its kind. Read more about Stentrode.

Faculty from the University of Alabama Birmingham School of Engineering and the departments of Neurobiology, Neurology and Neurosurgery in the Heersink School of Medicine have come together to establish the UAB Neuroengineering and Brain-Computer Interface Initiative. Read the announcement via UAB. 

The Eighth International Brain–Computer Interface (BCI) Meeting was held June 7–9, 2021 in a virtual format. The conference continued the BCI Meeting series’ interactive nature with 21 workshops covering the breadth of topics in BCI (also called brain–machine interface) research. The paper summarizes each workshop, provides background information and references for further study, summarizes discussions, and describes the resulting conclusion, challenges, or initiatives.

In this article, brain-computer interface technology and its social implications are examined from the perspectives of engineering, law, neuroethics, and industry. The current and future use of non-invasive or minimally-invasive BCI products necessitates a look into several issues of access and regulation, among others, as this emerging technology is predicted to become widely available in the next two decades.

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) offer a promising potential for thousands of individuals living with severe physical disability to interact with the world using their brain. However, for many children with severe physical disability, there are still too few opportunities to use, interact, and practice with BCI, effectively limiting their fundamental right to participate in their world. This webinar looks at the significant unmet need in translating BCI research and developments to children who could greatly benefit from such technology.

The 2021 World Intellectual Property Organization Technology Trends report outlines the current and future implications of assistive technologies crossing over into consumer markets, creating greater access and independence for persons with disabilities. Read WIPO Technology Trends 2021: Assistive Technology.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are used in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to help improve how the system interprets brain activity. A new study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) apply deepfake AI technology in order to improve the performance of brain-computer interfaces to help those with speech impairment or mobility issues.

Blackrock Neurotech announced FDA breakthrough device designation for its MoveAgain brain-computer interface system. The MoveAgain system is portable and would allow persons with physical disabilities to gain mobility and independence. Read more via MassDevice.com.

A group of researchers in Spain collaborated with scientists at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, US, to use a microelectrode array to help a blind person perceive letters and shapes. The implant, which is about the size of a penny, bypasses the optic nerve and instead provides stimulation to the brain’s visual cortex. By the end of the study, the participant could identify several letters. Although the device is in the early stages of clinical development, the first experiment in a human participant was successful.