The Scientist | What Will It Take to Design a Brain Implant That Lasts a Lifetime?

Momentum behind brain-computer interfaces is growing, but experts say that design innovations are needed to help them survive decades in the brain.

By RJ Mackenzie

When Ian Burkhart was just 19 years old, he lost the ability to move below his elbows after a diving accident. Three years later, he came across a clinical trial that would begin in 2013 and could potentially “reanimate” him. This medical miracle, he was told, would come at a cost. Researchers at the Ohio State University would implant a small brain-computer interface (BCI) in Burkhart’s head. He said the conversation with his family and friends wasn’t easy. “It was like, ‘You just had a spinal cord injury three years ago, and you lost mostly everything, and you still have your brain. Why do you want to risk damaging your brain now?’”

Read the full article here.

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