Precision Neuroscience says it has achieved real-time, thought-based control of a computer, including cursor movement, gaming and smartphone navigation, using a brain-computer interface that sits on the surface of the brain rather than piercing it. The company says this is the first time this level of control has been shown without electrodes penetrating brain tissue, using its ultra-thin “Layer 7” electrode array, which is about one-fifth the thickness of a human hair. Layer 7 already has FDA clearance and is being developed to help restore digital communication and control for people living with paralysis.
Why it matters: Most brain-computer interfaces developed so far require electrodes to be surgically implanted into brain tissue, which carries real surgical risk; a device that works from the brain’s surface could make this technology safer, cheaper and more widely available to people who lose movement or speech.
Source: MassDevice →
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