The first brain-computer interface chip implanted in humans! Has "The Matrix" become a reality?

On January 30, 2024, Elon Musk posted a message on the social platform X (formerly Twitter), "Neuralink successfully performed the first human brain-computer interface implantation surgery, and the recipient is recovering well. Moreover, the implanted brain-computer interface device is working well and has received neural signals from the recipient's brain."

Screenshot of Elon Musk X message

The team from Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University and the team from School of Medicine of Tsinghua University also recently jointly announced that the brain-computer interface has made phased progress. The world's first quadriplegic patient who received assisted treatment with an implantable epidural electrode brain-computer interface has achieved autonomous brain-controlled drinking.

Pictures taken from related videos

This shows that brain-computer interfaces have made considerable progress. Many netizens even began to worry that hackers in The Matrix and Ghost in the Shell would use brain-computer interfaces to control others. Is this worry justified? What exactly can brain-computer interfaces be used for? Let's talk about it in detail.

Is brain-computer interface a new concept?

The device that Musk's "Neuralink" implanted into the human body this time is the device called Telepathy in the picture below (Neuralink's official website calls it the N1 implant).

Neuralink's "N1 implant", picture taken from Neuralink's official website

So, is this an unprecedented breakthrough?

Although many media used words such as "the first human implant" to report this, it should be noted that this is only the first human experiment of Neuralink, not the first experiment of brain-computer interface. The concept of brain-computer interface can be traced back to 1973, when Jacques Vidal of the University of California, Los Angeles first proposed the "brain-computer interface" (BCI).

In the 1970s, a team tried to implant brain-computer interface devices in humans and succeeded. Even earlier, although there was no concept of brain-computer interface, many people had already done research in this field (see the figure below).

History of brain-computer interface research, Image source: References

Therefore, the success of Musk's surgery was, to be precise, another important step forward based on the work of his predecessors.

In the two recent successful cases, both implants were done. So does the brain-computer interface have to be installed with a part in the head? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to connect by wearing a helmet like in many science fiction movies? This requires talking about the two types of brain-computer interfaces - non-invasive brain-computer interfaces and invasive brain-computer interfaces. Let’s talk about them separately.

Non-invasive brain-computer interface

Non-invasive brain-computer interface sounds high-end, but many of our friends may have used it, because we may be exposed to electroencephalogram examinations in the hospital. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is the basis of many non-invasive brain-computer interfaces.

Doctors can use EEG to determine brain function and detect diseases. Through training, people can also adjust their thoughts and emit certain brain waves to achieve specific functions.

For example, in 1965, experimental music composer Alvin Lucier manipulated percussion instruments and created music by inducing the production of alpha waves in the human brain.

In addition to composing music, non-invasive brain-computer interfaces have more practical uses. For example, in the 1990s, neurobiologist Niels Birbaumer began to train 10 nearly paralyzed epilepsy patients to input characters through brain waves. Although the input speed was very slow, it was already very remarkable for nearly paralyzed patients.

In 2021, researchers also used a non-invasive brain-computer interface based on electroencephalogram to collect electrical signals from the brains of stroke patients. After analyzing the electrical signals, they used robots to assist patients in hand movements and promote the recovery of hand motor function.

In addition to detecting brain waves, non-invasive brain-computer interfaces can also use other means to determine brain dynamics. A company called Kernel uses a helmet-like infrared device to detect changes in certain components of the blood in the head, thereby indirectly inferring the brain's neural activity. This device can identify what song a person is listening to and can also help doctors screen for some brain-related diseases.

The characteristic of non-invasive brain-computer interface devices is that they can detect brain signals directly from the outside without surgery, making experiments more convenient and less risky. However, due to interference from the skull and skin, the resolution of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces will be affected. If it is possible to receive signals directly from the cerebral cortex, more accurate neural signals can be obtained, which requires another type of brain-computer interface - an invasive brain-computer interface.

Invasive brain-computer interface

Invasive brain-computer interfaces require surgery to implant electrodes into the cerebral cortex or gray matter to obtain more accurate signals. This N1 implant belongs to this category.

As early as 1978, invasive brain-computer interfaces had been tested on humans. At that time, scientist William Dobelle hoped to use invasive brain-computer interface devices to help non-congenitally blind patients "rebuild vision."

Dobell implanted an electrode device in the visual cortex of a patient with non-congenital blindness. This electrode device is connected to the camera on the patient's glasses. After collecting light signals from the surrounding environment, the camera transmits the signal to the electrode, which stimulates the visual cortex in the subject's brain, allowing the blind person to "see light" again. This is also the earliest invasive brain-computer interface human experiment.

In addition to solving visual problems, invasive brain-computer interfaces also have many applications in moving cursors and controlling prosthetic limbs. For example, in 1998, a patient with "locked-in syndrome" (almost complete paralysis and inability to move limbs) was implanted with a brain-computer interface device, through which the patient was able to manipulate a computer cursor with "thoughts".

In January 2024, Neural Connection's invasive brain-computer interface device will be able to learn the relationship between the user's brain waves and intentions. According to Musk, this device can help users control mobile phones, computers, and any devices connected to them.

Of course, invasive brain-computer interfaces are not without disadvantages. The most obvious is the risk of surgery, and after the operation, scar tissue may form at the wound, affecting the signal received by the electrode. In addition, the human body may reject the implant, which may have a negative impact on the body of the implantee and may also cause infection. Therefore, there is no absolute good or bad between invasive brain-computer interfaces and non-invasive brain-computer interfaces, and the effects and risks must be comprehensively judged.

Human thoughts are complex and intricate, and it is indeed a difficult task for brain-computer interfaces to figure out what the owner wants to do. Whether it is invasive or non-invasive, brain-computer interfaces need to collect signals from the brain and convert these signals into specific intentions. This process requires analysis and processing of a large amount of signal data, which is exactly what artificial intelligence technology, especially deep learning technology, is good at.

With the development of deep learning technology, artificial intelligence fills the gaps in the chaotic EEG data and greatly reduces the error rate in decoding records. Therefore, with the development of deep learning technology, brain-computer interface technology has also made great progress.

Will brain-computer interface become a backdoor for hackers?

In science fiction works such as "The Matrix" and "Ghost in the Shell", master hackers can easily obtain other people's information and even manipulate the invaded through brain-computer interfaces. Many people oppose brain-computer interfaces for this reason.

As soon as Musk’s news about brain-computer interface came out, concerns about the security of brain-computer interface immediately appeared in the comment section. For example, the message with the highest number of likes was the one in the picture below: "When your brain-computer interface chip is hacked (your status)".

Image source: Screenshot of the message (Note: The image is a screenshot of a famous brainwashing song MV popular on the Internet)

In addition to safety, brain-computer interfaces may also bring some ethical issues. For example, one of the research directions in the field of brain-computer interfaces is emotion recognition and emotion regulation. For example, brain-computer interface devices can recognize a person's true emotions that he or she is unwilling to express, and can stimulate specific brain areas through electric currents to "regulate emotions." If we don't want others to know our thoughts, and don't want to be forced to be happy when we are sad, will such brain-computer interface devices have ethical issues?

The good news is that, at present, there is no need to worry about these problems, because the current brain-computer interface technology is far from the level of science fiction movies, and brain-computer interface technology is not currently aimed at ordinary people. Most brain-computer interfaces are only used to help people with disabilities live better. What about the future? With the further development of brain-computer interface technology, it will probably enter the lives of ordinary people one day.

But we can learn from a sentence mentioned in a 2009 Nature paper: "Brain-computer interfaces do raise some ethical issues, but these issues are never new challenges." In the fields of medicine and science, there are already too many similar cases. Before and after a technology truly enters the mass market, the relevant norms and constraints will gradually improve. We just need to pay close attention and there is no need to panic in advance.

References

[1] https://neuralink.com/

[2]https://www.reuters.com/science/elon-musks-neuralink-gets-us-fda-approval-human-clinical-study-brain-implants-2023-05-25/

[3]VidalJJ.Towarddirectbrain-computercommunication[J].AnnualreviewofBiophysicsandBioengineering,1973,2(1):157-180.

[4] Chen, Q., Yuan, T., Zhang, L., Gong, J., Fu, L., Han, X., Ruan, M., & Yu, Z. (2023). Journal of biomedical engineering, 40(3), 566–572. https://doi.org/10.7507/1001-5515.202303038

[5]https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/articles/200305/communicating-brain-waves

[6]StraebelV,ThobenW.AlvinLucier'smusicforsoloperformer:experimentalmusicbeyondsonification[J].OrganisedSound,2014,19(1):17-29.

[7]https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musks-pig-brain-implant-is-still-a-long-way-from-solving-paralysis/

[8]https://www.wired.com/2002/09/vision/

[9]ClausenJ.Man,machineandinbetween[J].Nature,2009,457(7233):1080-1081.

This article is a work of Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project

Produced by: Science Popularization Department of China Association for Science and Technology

Producer｜China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.

Author: Science Scraps Popular Science Creator

Reviewer: Tao Ning, Associate Researcher, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences