Researchers believe that soon we
will allow doctors to insert electrodes into our brains so we can communicate
directly with computers and each other. Scientists have long known that the
firing of our neurons is what allows us to move, feel, and think. But breaking
the code by which neurons talk to each other and the rest of the body has long
stood as one of neuroscience’s most daunting tasks. Using non-invasive
electrodes that sit on the outside of the scalp makes the invention much less
off-putting for patients, but it also imposes severe limitations. The voltage
signals coming from brain cells may be muffled as they travel through the scalp
to reach the sensors.
In the next five to 10 years some
form of brain-computer interface will be used to rehabilitate victims of
strokes, spinal cord injuries, chronic pain, and other disorders. What you
really want is to be able to listen to the brain and talk to the brain in a way
that the brain cannot distinguish from the way it communicates internally, and
we can’t do that right now. Where and when the breakthroughs will come from is
unclear. After decades of research and progress, many of the same technological
challenges remain daunting. Still, the progress in neuroscience and computer
hardware and software makes the outcome inevitable.
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