The setting sun shines through the window lattice, sprinkled on Mark's pale face, he tries to raise his hand, to touch the warm light, but in vain he can only feel the weakness of his muscles, after suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Mark's body is like a castle gradually crumbling, and the once familiar senses and mobility are gradually moving away from him, trapping him in a silent darkness
The light of technology unexpectedly shone into this darkness, a neurotechnology company called S, opened a door to the future for Mark, allowing him to see the dawn of hope in despair, through the implantation of a device called "brain-computer interface", Mark can use his "mind" to control electronic devices, reconnect with the world he once knew
What is a brain-computer interface? Put simply, it's like a bridge between the brain and external devices, allowing our minds to control the machine directly, and as in a science fiction movie, this technology sounds like it was ahead of its time, but in fact, scientists have been exploring it for decades
As early as the 70s of the last century, the concept of brain-computer interface technology has been proposed, in recent years, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, neuroscience and other fields, brain-computer interface technology has also ushered in new breakthroughs, at present, brain-computer interface technology is mainly used in the medical field, such as helping paralyzed patients to restore mobility, treatment of epilepsy and other neurological diseases
Unlike other companies that need to implant devices for craniotomy, Company S uses a minimally invasive method to implant a stent-like device through the jugular vein into the blood vessels on the surface of the brain's motor cortex, which is not only safer, but also allows patients to recover faster
In August 2023, Mark became one of the first patients in the world to undergo the implantation of S's brain-computer interface system, after the surgery, Mark began a long rehabilitation training, he needed to learn how to concentrate, how to translate his thoughts into signals that can be recognized by the brain-computer interface system, it was a challenging process, but Mark never gave up, he always had hope in his heart, he knew that as long as he persevered, he could regain control of his life
After months of hard work, Mark was finally able to skillfully use the brain-computer interface system to control computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices, and to his surprise, Company S also connected their brain-computer interface system with Apple's latest VP headset, which means that Mark can use his "mind" to control this advanced device and experience richer functions
"Using a brain-computer interface to control the VP is like a part of my body coming back to life," says Mark enthusefully, using the VP to browse the web, watch videos, and even play games, all of which were once out of reach for him
What's more, VP also opened a door to artistic creation for Mark, due to physical reasons, Mark can no longer pick up a paintbrush, but he can use the painting software on VP to create imaginative works with "ideas".
Company S announced that it is using OAI's latest AI model to build a new generative chat feature for paralyzed patients, which allows patients to communicate with others by "mind" input
"Before, I could only express my thoughts by blinking my eyes, and a simple sentence took a long time," Mark said, "and now, I can type and chat like a normal person, which makes me feel like I'm back in society"
In the medical field, brain-computer interface technology can help more people with disabilities like Mark get back to life, so that they can reintegrate into society and enjoy the convenience brought by technology, in the field of education, brain-computer interface technology can help students improve learning efficiency and develop brain potential, and in the field of entertainment, brain-computer interface technology can bring us a more immersive game experience, making us feel as if we are in a virtual world
Despite the challenges, we have reason to believe that BCI technology will bring great changes to human society, as Thomas · Oxley, CEO of S Company, said: "We are at the beginning of a new era in which BCI technology will fundamentally change the way we interact with the world."
This article only represents a personal view and does not constitute any investment advice.