Tech Explainer: Brain–Computer Interfaces and Neural Prosthetics
Check out the preface to this piece, “Breaking the Cycle: Against the Militarization of Neuroscience Research,” by Christopher L. Dancy
For the past few months, news outlets have been running stories about Neuralink’s newest feat: the first successful implantation of their “brain chip” in a human recipient. Initial reports were shrouded in mystery. Questions about where (in the brain), what (type of device was used), and in whom (the was device implanted) initially went unanswered, adding to the public’s fascination with the story. What they did share was that the receiving individual could use the implanted device to control a cursor on a computer screen, suggesting it might be connected to the brain regions that control movement. Because the effect of a neural implant varies as a function of its location, the placement of the chip would reveal something of its inner workings.
The patient’s story debuted online in March on X (formerly Twitter), whose owner is the same as that of Neuralink—billionaire Elon Musk. It has been confirmed that the chip was implanted on the motor regions of the brain. Although the recipient was paralyzed from the neck down, they could now play video games simply by thinking about it.
