February 24, 2023: Brain implants will now let you control tech? Read this article to more about this new invention.
Science fiction movies of the 2000s seem to have become a reality. Movies and shows like Black Mirror depicted a fictional world where computer chips controlled human brains and it seems like a US-based company is set on making that dream real sooner than expected.
US-based brain interface startup, Synchron, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is working on technology designed to transform daily life for people with paralysis.
The Synchron Switch is implanted through the blood vessels to allow people with no or very limited physical mobility to operate technology such as cursors and smart home devices using their minds. So far, the new technology has been used on three patients in the U.S. and four in Australia.
“I’ve seen moments between patient and partner, or patient and spouse, where it’s incredibly joyful and empowering to have regained an ability to be a little bit more independent than before,” Synchron CEO Tom Oxley said in an interview.
With this, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos have entered the growing brain-computer interface (BCI) industry whose best-known company was Neuralink, which blew up in popularity due to founder and tech billionaire Elon Musk's high profile.