On January 30, Beijing time, Elon Musk announced the "world's first human brain-computer interface chip implantation surgery" on the social ** platform X, which attracted attention. About 8 hours later, the official website of Tsinghua University released a news that the team of Tsinghua University and Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University successfully conducted the first clinical trial of wireless minimally invasive brain-computer interface.
Although invasive or semi-invasive BCIs cannot be mass-produced in the short term, in fact, non-invasive BCIs have long been widely used in various fields. Duan Feng, a professor at the School of Artificial Intelligence of Nankai University, introduced that the threshold for collecting brain waves through the scalp is relatively low, and related EEG amplifier equipment such as controlling wheelchairs and controlling real cars on the road through brain waves have been sold on the market.
It will take time for brain-computer interfaces to be commercialized, which may drive the common development of related industries.
A number of industry insiders told the people's ** health client reporter that although they are more optimistic about the future prospects of brain-computer interfaces, it may take some time to achieve large-scale commercialization. "Institutions such as Tsinghua University and Musk Inc. still need to overcome many technical problems when using minimally invasive or implantable technologies for commercialization, such as high-precision and high-stability EEG signal acquisition and processing. A brain-computer interface researcher told the People's ** Health Client reporter.
Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, also said, "Commercialization requires not only mature technology, but also market acceptance, cost control, regulatory approval and other aspects. Therefore, even if there is a technological breakthrough, commercialization may take a long time. ”
With the rapid development of brain-computer connection, it will also drive the common development of high-end manufacturing, medical care and other related industries. "Brain-computer interface devices have high requirements for manufacturing precision and materials, which will promote the development of high-end manufacturing. A large number of EEG signals require efficient data processing and storage technology, which will promote the development of cloud computing and big data industry. Brain-computer interface has broad application prospects in the medical field, such as helping hemiplegic patients to restore motor function, which will drive the development of the first device and service market. With the maturity of technology, brain-computer interfaces are likely to enter the field of consumer electronics, such as game control, smart home control, etc., which will also bring new growth points to the consumer electronics industry. Wang Peng said.
Security risks, informed consent, privacy and other issues need to be addressed urgently.
Experiments from monkeys to humans are bound to face many ethical issues, and I have received many letters from patients saying that they take all the risks, but the approval of ethical issues such as indications and safety by hospitals is a complicated process. Duan Feng introduced that safety must be applied to clinical trials.
Wang Peng also said that implantable brain-computer interfaces may cause safety risks such as infections and equipment failures, and require strict safety standards and emergency response mechanisms. In addition, issues such as privacy leakage, identity and autonomy, and social fairness all deserve the attention of the industry.
The BCI researchers suggest that in order to address the ethical issues that BCIs may raise, the first priority is to establish strict regulations to ensure that the technology is not misused and to protect patients' privacy. Secondly, universal education is also crucial to give the public an insight into the help and possibilities of this emerging technology to build trust in it.
In addition, in order to increase public confidence in implants, there is also a need to ensure the transparency and openness of BCI technology, so that patients know the specific substances implanted. In the end, it is necessary to think about how to ensure that the development of this brain-computer technology will not be monopolized by a few people, so that more people can benefit. The researcher added.