BrainGate device complements Neuralink's successful test of wireless BCI in monkey.
Read the whole story
Read the whole story
New high-bandwidth wireless BCI helps tetraplegics use tablet computers
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
I'm not going to lie, boys and girls, 2020 was a rough year that made me lose a lot of hope in humanity. But then I see something amazing like this, and I am once again reminded of just how amazingly clever a bunch of, essentially, "naked apes" can be given the time and resources. Things like this rekindle my hope in our species. I will always wonder how much further along the road to the stars we might we, had we devoted our time, effort, and resources to science like this instead of clever ways to prove "my tribe" is better than "your tribe".
Upvote
59
(65
/
-6)
We’re gonna need a Lobot-style casing to house and protect the external components of these kinds of devices.
Upvote
27
(27
/
0)
I find these advances fascinating, but I'll be really impressed when they get past the main stumbling block of the eventual foreign body response to the implanted electrodes or when they get better resolution without an implant.
Upvote
11
(12
/
-1)
How long before somebody who is normally paralyzed can operate a robot body ? It feels like not long...
Upvote
18
(18
/
0)
Upvote
18
(19
/
-1)
We already have the technology, and we know how to do it. We've known for decades, and the only thing that's really held us back has been miniaturization. Moore's law is taking care of that.
Upvote
15
(16
/
-1)
Really appreciate the honest comparison between the two systems. Really cool to see the progress that's made on such an important field.
Upvote
11
(11
/
0)
The tech described here and in Zimmer's article are neat and help the brain more efficiently control electrical devices, but neither of these seem like they're geared to solve the opposite pathway of transmitting information from electrical devices to the brain. Is the latter even possible, or is this a one-way street?
Upvote
8
(8
/
0)
Upvote
2
(5
/
-3)
Tsk, tsk...a "high bandwidth" article at Ars without mentioning a single word about transmission rates. What's this world coming to.
For anyone interested (*cough*all of us*cough*) I found some more details:
• https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-03-31/b ... e-wireless: "Dubbed the Brown Wireless Device (BWD), it was designed to transmit high-fidelity signals while drawing minimal power. In the current study, two devices used together recorded neural signals at 48 megabits per second from 200 electrodes with a battery life of over 36 hours."
• https://news.brown.edu/articles/2014/12/sensor:
- "The custom-engineered neuroelectronic platform is composed of two elements: a 100-channel transmitter only 5 centimeters in its largest dimension and weighing only 46.1 grams, and a four-antenna receiver [...]"
- "It dissipates two magnitudes less power than commercial 802.11n transceivers to broadcast a comparable rate of high-speed data – up to 200 megabits per second – within a few meters distance."
So in short, yes it's pretty high bandwidth. Especially for a single AA battery powered device sitting on someone's head.
For anyone interested (*cough*all of us*cough*) I found some more details:
• https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-03-31/b ... e-wireless: "Dubbed the Brown Wireless Device (BWD), it was designed to transmit high-fidelity signals while drawing minimal power. In the current study, two devices used together recorded neural signals at 48 megabits per second from 200 electrodes with a battery life of over 36 hours."
• https://news.brown.edu/articles/2014/12/sensor:
- "The custom-engineered neuroelectronic platform is composed of two elements: a 100-channel transmitter only 5 centimeters in its largest dimension and weighing only 46.1 grams, and a four-antenna receiver [...]"
- "It dissipates two magnitudes less power than commercial 802.11n transceivers to broadcast a comparable rate of high-speed data – up to 200 megabits per second – within a few meters distance."
So in short, yes it's pretty high bandwidth. Especially for a single AA battery powered device sitting on someone's head.
Upvote
64
(67
/
-3)
Upvote
15
(16
/
-1)
I’ve read more than a decade ago about implanted devices being powered just by the stuff in regular human blood. Are any of the internal brain implants in use or in research powered this way? Seems like it would save a lot of maintenance hassle with protruding wires or deteriorating batteries.
Upvote
2
(2
/
0)
I suspect that they're focusing for now on the recording problem, because recording and decoding movement-related brain signals is far easier than accurately simulating sensory input. It's easy to see what the motor cortex is doing and extrapolate from that to movement, because the motor cortex is pretty standardized between human brains and has a fairly simple structure. So it's a clear next step that seems soluble with current tech.
It's a lot harder to provide input, because you'd need to be able to accurately stimulate the right neurons, and it's not clear that stimulating large groups of them using technology like this would be a successful approach. That said, some people are apparently working on it. The most common example is cochlear implants, which transduce sound directly to neurons (the vestibulocochlear system is structurally relatively simple). Vision is significantly harder, because it's a pretty complicated system and can differ developmentally. But it's extensively researched, and apparently is tractable. I'd bet that the other senses are out of our reach for now though, and other than sensory input it's not clear that there are any plausible use cases for device-to-brain transmission (barring blunt approaches like deep-brain stimulation or maybe anti-epilepsy systems). Here's a decent review of some recent progress and challenges.
Upvote
13
(13
/
0)
Upvote
25
(25
/
0)
For the first time? Then why am I getting my 2nd COVID-5G vaccine? I thought that was to enable the BCI for 5G. So confused. I need to talk to Bill Gates. He's got some 'splaining to do.
Upvote
-7
(4
/
-11)
Upvote
1
(1
/
0)
Upvote
3
(3
/
0)
Actually, I think these devices are powered using inductive power transfer - its a technique that's been in use for a while for cochlear implants. I had a coworker who was born deaf, and had opted to have dual implants applied - it was kind of startling to see the external apparatus simply clinging to his head just behind his temples, and even more startling to see him pluck them off - they were apparently held in place by a magnet to ensure power coupling. He always got a kick out of the response he'd see from people the first time they saw the units come off.
The things were amazing. He still had the "accent" from learning to speak without hearing his own voice, but could hear somebody walking up behind him while in a semiconductor cleanroom environment (for those who don't know, in addition to wearing a hood that covers your entire head - including the ears - there is a constant sound of whooshing filter fan units used to keep the air clean, typically white noise in the ~70 dB range)
Upvote
16
(16
/
0)
Appreciate the tech news that instills hope for the future instead of dystopian dread once in a while.
Upvote
6
(7
/
-1)
Just a check-in on standard devices available today:
A friend just got a deep brain stimulation implant for Parkinson's. There are two electrodes - in this case implanted in the globus pallidus internus, one on each side. Each electrode has eight contact points, plus there's a "ground" contact on the case of the stimulator. The electrodes were inserted through holes in the top of the skull (hair is growing back nicely), and wired to a contact junction behind the ear, also under the skin. From there wires lead to the stimulator, implanted just below the collar bone. It's about the size of a couple of 50-cent coins - small. It has low-power blue tooth connection to an external remote, and is highly programable. The stimulator itself is rechargeable - once a week for half an hour seems to keep it topped up - with a battery-powered induction coil - keeps the mains power away from it. Currently it's set to stimulate with a 2mA current, 60Hz pulse train. The way the neurologist set it up, my friend can set the stimulation level, independently on the right and left side, from the remote. She's playing with the levels to get the best response to the Parkinson's. The device can have up to four separate programs, each with user-selected stimulation levels.
So, no through-the-skin connections. Less chance of infection - you really don't want an infection in your brain. The blue tooth remote seems to work up to about 10 meters away.
This is a standard setup. The neurosurgeon does several a week. But the brain surgery is a bit brutal - requires hospital stays (the left and right sides are done separately), long surgeries (four hours for one side, six for the other), and long recovery for brain swelling - several weeks of being "loopy", with headaches, antibiotics, special dressings for the incisions, pain meds.
The result has been amazing - my friend can now use a walker instead of a wheel chair, dress herself, turn over in bed, feed herself, and so on. Even pick out a few chords on the ukulele!
I guess the upshot is that low power blue tooth works fine, and the internal device is rechargeable, And the surgery and wiring are standard, but kind of a big deal. I talked with the device's rep, who was there at the initial "tuning" session, and he said the whole thing would cost several hundred thousand dollars - most of that with the intake testing, lots of MRIs and CTSs, two extensive surgeries and hospital stays, and lots of neurologist time tuning it. The device itself is a small part of that cost. (Thank you Medicare...)
A friend just got a deep brain stimulation implant for Parkinson's. There are two electrodes - in this case implanted in the globus pallidus internus, one on each side. Each electrode has eight contact points, plus there's a "ground" contact on the case of the stimulator. The electrodes were inserted through holes in the top of the skull (hair is growing back nicely), and wired to a contact junction behind the ear, also under the skin. From there wires lead to the stimulator, implanted just below the collar bone. It's about the size of a couple of 50-cent coins - small. It has low-power blue tooth connection to an external remote, and is highly programable. The stimulator itself is rechargeable - once a week for half an hour seems to keep it topped up - with a battery-powered induction coil - keeps the mains power away from it. Currently it's set to stimulate with a 2mA current, 60Hz pulse train. The way the neurologist set it up, my friend can set the stimulation level, independently on the right and left side, from the remote. She's playing with the levels to get the best response to the Parkinson's. The device can have up to four separate programs, each with user-selected stimulation levels.
So, no through-the-skin connections. Less chance of infection - you really don't want an infection in your brain. The blue tooth remote seems to work up to about 10 meters away.
This is a standard setup. The neurosurgeon does several a week. But the brain surgery is a bit brutal - requires hospital stays (the left and right sides are done separately), long surgeries (four hours for one side, six for the other), and long recovery for brain swelling - several weeks of being "loopy", with headaches, antibiotics, special dressings for the incisions, pain meds.
The result has been amazing - my friend can now use a walker instead of a wheel chair, dress herself, turn over in bed, feed herself, and so on. Even pick out a few chords on the ukulele!
I guess the upshot is that low power blue tooth works fine, and the internal device is rechargeable, And the surgery and wiring are standard, but kind of a big deal. I talked with the device's rep, who was there at the initial "tuning" session, and he said the whole thing would cost several hundred thousand dollars - most of that with the intake testing, lots of MRIs and CTSs, two extensive surgeries and hospital stays, and lots of neurologist time tuning it. The device itself is a small part of that cost. (Thank you Medicare...)
Upvote
32
(32
/
0)
Considering all the crazy ass shit that goes through my head day in and day out, I'm not overly thrilled with the idea of dictating those thoughts...
Though to be fair, I would assume such a system could be turned on/off as needed, so my fears are *mostly* baseless.
EDIT: A word.
Upvote
0
(1
/
-1)
I find this extremely fascinating. Thank you for sharing your friend's experience.
Upvote
10
(10
/
0)
fellow human
Ars Praefectus
Tetraplegic is a new term to me… in case anyone else is wondering, the torso is the 5th part.
Anyway this is fascinating. More data along with more mobility seems like an important combination.
Anyway this is fascinating. More data along with more mobility seems like an important combination.
Upvote
0
(2
/
-2)
Tetraplegic is just another term for quadraplegic. Both mean four; tetra is just Greek instead of Latin.
Upvote
4
(4
/
0)
Technological improvement is exponential, so we can expect a dramatic improvement of BCI tech. The brilliant line between human and "machine" is an illusion.
Upvote
-1
(1
/
-2)
I would disagree in part, at least for now. If a layman could (from a corpse, natch) dissect the cadaver and then point out the surgical pins, steel plate, etc, then it seems that a pretty distinct line still exists between mechanical and biological. On the other hand, when advanced grow to the point that you need an MD to tell the difference between a vat-grown heart and the biological original....
For now, the line is still firm-- but getting blurrier with each successful invention!
Upvote
1
(1
/
0)
I couldn’t help but to imagine the flow of data not unlike trying to parse a firehose of snmp and trying to decipher the oids
I love everything about the article
I love everything about the article
Upvote
1
(1
/
0)
Jennifer, can you please add SI/international units when you decide to go for US ones? I don't know what ounces are... It's a recurring thing with your articles.
Upvote
9
(10
/
-1)
I, too, wondered whether by "mind writing", Tinolyn meant something like the ability to effortlessly transcribe one's thoughts, but when you come down to it, that would be mind-reading by another name. You have the thoughts already—the breakthrough would be the dictation machine that has the ability to read them.
If we interpret "mind writing" analogously to the established phrase "mind reading" (i.e., "mind" being the object of the verb, rather than its subject), on the other hand, it would denote the ability to write things directly to the mind, an idea both exciting and terrifying. If anything leads to the fusion of humans and A.I. that Elon Musk has said is his ultimate aspiration for Neuralink, it must surely be such "mind writing".
Upvote
1
(1
/
0)
Fuzzypiggy
Ars Scholae Palatinae
Rather than the efficiency of the Borg, I get the image of Amy, Sheldon, Leonard and Howard from Big Bang Theory, screwing around in a lab!
Upvote
-2
(1
/
-3)
Nooooo, that's not the only thing that's been holding this back. There are other technological challenges still being worked through.
One example: scar tissue. The brain recognizes implants as a foreign body. While the brain-implant interaction initially has a pretty clear signal, over a few weeks the body builds up scar tissue around the implant and the signal is lost. That's why you see most proof-of-concept studies like this one, and we don't hear about this technology being rolled out long-term for quadriplegics.
There's still ongoing research into how to get the brain to treat these implants as friendly agents so that implants can be used long-term.
Upvote
2
(2
/
0)
Assisted motion ain't gonna do squat for paralysis. If they can't move in the first place, the assisting device has no input.
Upvote
0
(0
/
0)
I was diagnosed with bulbar ALS in the summer of 2019; My initial symptoms were quite noticeable. I first experienced weakness in my right arm and my speech and swallowing abilities were profoundly affected. The Rilutek (riluzole) did very little to help me. The medical team at the ALS clinic did even less. My decline was rapid and devastating.if it were not for the sensitive care and attention of my primary physician I would have been deceased,There has been little if any progress in finding a cure or reliable treatment. Acupuncture eased my anxiety a bit. Our primary physician recommended me to www. kycuyuhealthclinic. com and their amazing ALS treatment. My symptoms including muscle weakness, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing disappeared after 4 months treatment! The herbal treatment is a sensation.
Upvote
0
(0
/
0)