You don’t need to use your hands, just come over if you want something - this is the technology used in science fiction blockbusters to control objects with your mind. In 2021, a monkey named Pager used an implanted device to play the "thought ping pong" game with his mind. On January 29, 2024, well-known American entrepreneur Elon Musk said that his brain-computer interface company "Neural Connection" conducted the first human transplantation of a brain-computer interface device the day before, and the transplantee is currently recovering well.
From animal experiments to obtaining approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to carry out human implant research, while brain-computer interface technology "opens up the brain", what can it bring to people? What are you most concerned about when implanting a chip in the human brain? On January 30, West China Metropolis Daily and cover news reporters interviewed Xu Peng, winner of the National Outstanding Youth Fund of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Branch of the Sichuan Cognitive Science Society, and professor of the School of Life Sciences and Technology of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Musk’s company isn’t the first to conduct human trials
In fact, before conducting human trials, the "Neural Connection" company team led by Musk has completed more than 400 animal implantation experiments. These experiments were mainly conducted on sheep, pigs and monkeys. In 2021, more than a dozen robots from the company "Neural Connection" performed 155 surgeries on these animals, demonstrating the feasibility and safety of their technology in practical applications.
In 2021, Neural Connection caused a huge stir when it released a video showing a monkey implanted with its device telepathically playing a video game.
Subsequently, Neural Connection received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct the first clinical study of the implant in humans. "The company's technical goals are not only basic interactions, but also include more complex applications, such as helping paralyzed patients restore movement and sensation, achieving telepathy, and even memory uploading and downloading." Xu Peng said that although the "Neural Connection" company There is a lot of attention in the field of brain-computer interfaces, but they are not the only or the first company to conduct human trials. For example, Synchron carried out the first human-computer interface implant in the United States as early as July.
Collaboration between different disciplines is key to research
The "Neural Connection" company was founded in 2016. It aims to implant computer chips into the brain through surgery, connect the human brain and electronic devices, and then use electric current to "interact" between computers and brain cells, ultimately allowing paralyzed patients to restore motor functions. , cure brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, and help restore the vision of blind patients.
Xu Peng introduced that taking the retrieval of objects through the air as an example, the brain-computer interface should be used to realize the retrieval of objects through the air by the disabled, which means that the disabled can control external devices through brain signals.
First, a brain-computer interface device is used to collect electrical signals generated by the brains of disabled people. These signals typically involve brain areas associated with movement and intention. The collected signals are then analyzed through signal processing and decoding algorithms. These algorithms identify patterns associated with specific movements or intentions, translating brain signals into instructions that computers can understand. The final decoded instructions are used to control external devices, such as robotic arms, smart prosthetics, or other control devices. These devices are designed to perform actions such as grabbing, moving or manipulating objects to achieve remote access.
Brain-computer interface technology is an emerging research field, involving computer science, neuroscience, psychological cognitive science, biomedical engineering, communications, materials, clinical medicine, automatic control, materials science and other fields. Among them, neuroscience provides a deep understanding of the structure and function of the brain; engineering-related disciplines develop and optimize various hardware and software components to ensure their reliability and performance; and computer science can provide algorithms and software tools for interpreting and processing signals obtained from the brain; the materials discipline can help select and optimize suitable materials, which is crucial for designing implantable brain-computer interfaces. Of course, the contributions of other disciplines are also crucial. Cooperation between disciplines is the key to brain-machine interfaces. Interface research is critical, enabling scientists and engineers to work together to solve complex technical and ethical challenges.
dialogue
Privacy and ethical issues need to be properly considered
Reporter: What more sophisticated and complex surgeries and experiments are needed from monkey brain implantation to human brain implantation?
Xu Peng: The first thing to consider is the difference in anatomical structure. There are significant differences in size, structure and function between the human brain and the monkey brain. Therefore, implant surgery and device design need to be finely tuned to human anatomy. Secondly, the neurobiology of the human brain is more complex, and the neural networks and functional areas involved are more diverse and detailed. Therefore, implanted devices need to be able to precisely interact with specific neurons or neural networks. At the same time, the human brain generates huge amounts of data, and processing and decoding this data to achieve effective BCI interactions is more complex than in animal models. This requires more advanced data processing algorithms and machine learning techniques. Finally, safety and ethical standards are much stricter in human trials than in animal experiments. Stricter regulatory requirements must be adhered to, including detailed clinical trial design, ethical review, patient consent, etc.
Reporter: How to define the success of human brain implant devices? What indicators are there?
Xu Peng: The first is the safety of the surgery and implanted device, which includes the absence of serious complications during and after the surgery, such as infection, bleeding, inflammation or allergic reactions. Second is biocompatibility. The implant must be compatible with human tissue, be stable for a long time, and not cause chronic rejection or tissue damage. Finally, there is functionality. The implant should be able to work as intended. For example, if the purpose is to restore or enhance a specific neurological function, such as vision, hearing, or motor control, then the implant should be able to effectively achieve these functions.
Reporter: How does brain-computer interface technology prevent foreign objects from causing rejection reactions with the brain and human tissues and organs?
Xu Peng: Currently, brain-computer interface technology is usually divided into three categories based on "invasiveness": non-invasive, invasive and semi-invasive. Implanting a chip in the brain is an invasive brain-computer interface that can obtain high-quality neural signals, but it involves high safety risks and costs. When implanting chips, ensuring that there are no rejection reactions and problems with human tissues and organs is a key challenge. First, the use of biocompatible materials can reduce rejection reactions caused by foreign body implantation, such as some flexible material electrodes. Then consider chip size, making it as small and light as possible to reduce the impact on surrounding tissue. Although these methods can reduce the exclusivity between foreign bodies and brain and human tissues, absolute zero rejection is difficult to achieve.
Reporter: The chips implanted in the human brain will be checked regularly. Will there be tracking? How to ensure safety?
Xu Peng: In brain-computer interface technology, whether the implanted chip is regularly checked and has a tracking function, and how to ensure its safety, usually depends on the specific design and implementation. Whether a chip has tracking capabilities often depends on the purpose of the design and ethical considerations. In some applications, tracking capabilities may help determine the location of the chip, monitor its movement and detect any anomalies. However, privacy and ethical issues need to be properly considered to ensure that patients' privacy and personal rights are not violated. To ensure the security of implanted chips, encryption and security protocols can be used to protect the data communicated with the chip. This helps prevent unauthorized access and manipulation. Regular check-ups are required, and medical professionals monitor patients' physiological indicators and system performance to detect potential problems and take appropriate measures. Generally speaking, in order to ensure the safety of implanted chips, professional knowledge in multiple fields such as biomedical engineering, biology, computer science, ethics, etc. needs to be comprehensively considered, and relevant regulations and ethical guidelines must be followed.
West China Metropolis Daily - cover news reporter Zhang Zheng and intern Liu Han