They connected a human brain to a Windows 10 computer through a vein A team of scientists managed to connect a human brain to a Windows 10by passing a cable through a blood vessel.
Scientists from the University of Melbourne achieved this by inserting electrodes through the jugular vein in the neck and pushing them into the primary motor cortex of the brain. The electrodes were placed on the wall of the blood vessel, where they were able to detect signals from the brain that were then transmitted to a computer.
The approach, first developed in 2016, was successfully tested on two people with the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The participants were able to control a computer mouse connected to their brains using their thoughts. The results of the research were published in an article in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.
Participants were trained using machine learning to use wireless transmission of electrocorticography signals associated with movement attempts to control multiple mouse click actions, including zooming and left-clicking. Combined with an program for cursor navigation, participants achieved control of the Windows 10 operating system to perform instrumental activities of daily tasks.
Specifically, the first participant was able to use the technology unsupervised at home after 86 days, while the second participant achieved home use after just 71 days of supervision.
The new method is a less invasive approach compared to other tested brain-computer interfaces, such as that proposed by Elon Musk 's Neuralink startup .
At a technology presentation earlier this year, Elon Musk showed off a chip that could be implanted by removing a piece of the skull.
Scientists at the University of Melbourne hope to commercialize their method through a company called Synchron.
Thomas Oxley, head of research and CEO of Synchron, said that the motor system , at the moment, is what will offer treatment for people who are paralyzed. He also emphasized that when it starts interacting with other areas of the brain, it will show how the technology can pave the way for further brain processing
