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<p><span lang="en-US">"</span><a href="https://singularityhub.com/tag/brain-computer-interface/"><span lang="en-US">B</span><span lang="en-US">rain-computer </span></a><span lang="en-US">interface technology</span><span lang="en-US"> is advancing rapidly, but </span><span lang="en-US">it </span><span lang="en-US">current</span><span lang="en-US">ly</span><span lang="en-US"> relies on wires that seriously limit </span><span lang="en-US">its</span><span lang="en-US"> use in everyday applications. That could soon change, </span><span lang="en-US">though,</span><span lang="en-US"> a</span><span lang="en-US">s</span><span lang="en-US"> researchers </span><span lang="en-US">recently </span><span lang="en-US">completed the first human trial of a high-bandwidth wireless neural interface.</span></p>
<p><span lang="en-US">The most accurate way to record brain signals
today is by using a device called an intracortical brain-computer
interface (BCI), which involves an array of electrodes being implanted
into a patient’s motor cortex. Signals from these electrodes then pass
to a port in their skull, which connects to cables that transmit the
signal to an external computer.</span></p>
<p><span lang="en-US">The highly invasive nature of the implantation
procedure means the devices are still only used for research in a very
small number of patients. But there’s been major progress in the kinds
of things users have been able to accomplish using these devices, from
typing on computers to controlling robotic <a href="https://singularityhub.com/2019/07/31/beyond-mind-controlled-robotic-limbs-to-prosthetics-that-can-actually-feel/">prosthetics</a> and even moving paralyzed limbs.</span></p>
<p><span lang="en-US">But the fact that users need to be physically wired into these systems seriously limits the activities they can perform, </span><span lang="en-US">as well as</span><span lang="en-US"> researchers’ ability to test them over long periods </span><span lang="en-US">of time </span><span lang="en-US">and
in diverse settings. Now though, a team from Brown University has shown
that a wireless BCI can record brain signals with the same fidelity as a
wired device for up to 24 hours in a patient’s home.</span></p>
<p>“<span lang="en-US">We’ve demonstrated that this wireless system is
functionally equivalent to the wired systems that have been the gold
standard in BCI performance for years,” study leader John Simeral, from
Brown University, </span><a href="https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-03-31/braingate-wireless"><span lang="en-US">said in a press release</span></a><span lang="en-US">.</span></p>
<p>“<span lang="en-US">The only difference is that people no longer need
to be physically tethered to our equipment, which opens up new
possibilities in terms of how the system can be used.”</span></p><p><span lang="en-US"><a href="https://singularityhub.com/2021/04/12/scientists-completed-the-first-human-trial-of-a-wireless-high-bandwidth-brain-computer-interface/">https://singularityhub.com/2021/04/12/scientists-completed-the-first-human-trial-of-a-wireless-high-bandwidth-brain-computer-interface/</a></span></p><p><span lang="en-US"><br></span></p><p><span lang="en-US"><br></span></p></div>