Welp, it looks like Apple is throwing its hat in the ring in the brain chip implant race, teasing a new technology which will allow users to control the iPhone and other devices with their brains.
Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with their devices.
The company is taking early steps to enable people to control their iPhones with neural signals captured by a new generation of brain implants. It could make Apple devices more accessible to tens of thousands of people who can't use their hands because of severe spinal cord injuries or diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
That's right, in the near future we might all be using our smartphones like:
Okay, okay, it looks a little more low-key than that!
Watch:
Synchron makes "a stent-like device that is implanted in a vein atop the brain's motor cortex." The device, called the Stentrode, has "electrodes that read brain signals" and which "translates the signals into selecting icons on a screen."
Understandably, the technology at present is still somewhat limited. Tech companies "have to trick computers into thinking the signals coming from their implants are coming from a mouse." But purpose-built standards for implant interfaces will help bridge that gap.
The company "has implanted its Stentrode device in 10 people since 2019."
It's an exciting time for this type of tech, meanwhile:
Me, I'm just hoping this technology becomes widely available before I develop full-on carpel tunnel syndrome in my right wrist.
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