[NJTechDiv] Microsoft's Bill Gates is backing this brain implant computing company.
Mario Brusco
mrb620 at hotmail.com
Fri Oct 20 14:18:12 UTC 2023
Microsoft's Bill Gates is backing this brain implant computing company.
https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/microsoft-co-founder-bill-gates-has-backed-brain-implant-computing-company-synchron
By Jez Corden, published February 19, 2023.
Are mind-controlled PCs the future? Maybe.
Ever wondered what it would be like to scroll reddit just by thinking
it? Well, if you have, perhaps our old pal Billy G has something in the
works for you.
Microsoft co-founder and prolific philanthropist Bill Gates has joined
up with Amazon's Jeff Bezos according to reports to back Synchron, a
company building brain implants to help further interface humans with
computers.
Human-computer interfacing of today revolves around external
peripherals, such as touch screens, Xbox controllers, keyboards, etc.
But fear not, government-mandated brain implants are not (yet) in
Synchron's purview. Instead, Synchron's technology revolves around
improving accessibility, for those with limited or impaired mobility.
The report in CNBC describes how Synchron's "Switch" technology is
seamlessly implants via blood vessels, allowing patients to interact
with their devices using their thoughts alone.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/18/synchron-backed-by-bezos-and-gates-tests-brain-computer-interface.html
The report says that so far only 7 patients across the United States and
Australia have been testing out the tech, and thus far, the results seem
to have been promising.
Synchron CEO Tom Oxley said, "I’ve seen moments between patient and
partner, or patient and spouse, where it’s incredibly joyful and
empowering to have regained an ability to be a little bit more
independent than before. It helps them engage in ways that we take for
granted."
Synchron brain interface tech
The "Stentrode" can be inserted via blood vessels, and doesn't require
full blown neurosurgery to implement, according to Synchron.
Synchron just announced a $75 million dollar funding round that counts
Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos venture firms among those offering early
investment. Synchron has described its technology as more "scalable"
than competitors like Neuralink, developed by Elon Musk's firm.
Synchron's antenna can be fitted via a stent, which is a commonly-used
surgical procedure fitted via arteries and veins.
Competing solutions often require the presence of a full-blown
neurosurgeon, whereas Synchron's technology can be fitted with far more
expertise that is far more available. The technology could be
revolutionary for patients with ailments like ALS, or full-body
paralysis, giving thousands of potential candidates a new lease on life.
The technology is subject to all sorts of conspiracy theories and
controversy. Questions over Elon Musk's own Neuralink paint a dark
picture of the science. Musk's Neuralink is being investigated for
animal cruelty, owing to reports of test monkeys being subjected to
"extreme suffering." However, on the Synchron side, respected medical
journal JAMA Neurology recently approved the technology, noting that
their methodology was entirely safe, and didn't degrade in quality after
a 12-month period.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2799839
hile technology revolves around accessibility right now, it's not hard
to imagine a future where it could become more commonplace. If it
becomes more convenient as current solutions while remaining just as
safe, it's not science fiction to imagine a world where able-bodied
humans couldn't opt-in to this type of tech. That is, if you ignore some
of the more dystopic science fiction.
Synchron Stentrode: Brain Computer Interface for Paralysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZlIL0iI1Sg
Stentrode brain computer interface online in first two human patients.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm95r05hui0
Brain Implants are Here: Blackrock's Neuroport & Synchron's Stentrode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4kDDrX-HpQ
The Future of Brain Machine Interfaces - Shivon Zilis, Project Director
at Neuralink.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkUcCcRq_eM
This Brain Implant Could Change Lives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6oNoLWcDqw
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