Brain-Computer Interfaces, or BCIs for short, are all over the news (like here and here). These systems – which can be implanted into the brain – have the potential to help people with neurological conditions control devices (from mobile phones to robotic arms) using only their thoughts.
Headlines often use futuristic terms like ‘mind reading’. These phrases might grab our attention, but they could also distort our understanding of what BCIs are capable of (and what they are not).
In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Hunter Schone, BCI expert and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. We discussed what a BCI looks like, how they can help patients with severe clinical disorders, and the roles of universities, companies, and regulators have in their development. We also discuss the work that needs to be done before these devices are made more widely available for patients.
This is an episode to watch: from 09.42 you’ll see our jaws DROP when Hunter pulled out a 3D model of a patient’s brain to demonstrate how BCIs work!
This episode is the first of our neuroscience series, produced by PhD student Chloe Carrick, Youth Advisor Anushka De, and Research Fellow Dr. Kathryn Bates. New episodes for this series will be released on the first Monday of the month. Click the subscribe button on this page to get them straight to your inbox.
Resources
Read more about the work of the Rehab Neural Engineering Labs at the University of Pittsburgh
Watch this video with Dr. Sergey Stavisky on how BCIs have been used to restore speech in participants with ALS
UCLH launches a clinical trial of Neuralink’s N1 Implant: The GB-PRIME Study
The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or The Science or Fiction Podcast.
Share this post