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Fang Hongzheng read the documents in his hand, which showed that the team had successfully implanted chips into the brains of three little pigs before, including that the prototype developed by the team was worn on the head of a monkey and also obtained expected experimental results.

This year it was finally approved to start human clinical trials.

So-called neuronal spikes are brief electrical signal pulses generated by neurons after receiving sufficient excitatory input, usually used to transmit information and communicate with other neurons.

The brain chip developed by the team mainly detects the spikes of neuron discharge in the brain, and processes these spike data to interpret the user's intention. That is, by accurately detecting the activity of brain neurons, the human brain can communicate with external devices. real-time communication.

After a while, Qin Feng said: "The brain chip tested this time is a new type of brain-computer interface. It can not only enhance the connection with the brain's visual, tactile, auditory and motor cortex, but also help treat various neurological diseases. It also expands the way we interact with the world and ourselves. In short, we can control our phones, computers, and indirectly almost any device just by thinking about it.”

It is worth mentioning that people’s concerns about brain-computer interfaces are also a commonplace topic. This kind of device that can be compared to “mind reading” makes people feel uneasy. Today’s big data can only monitor browsing records and describe user portraits. To understand the user even better than the user himself.

If brain-computer technology is successfully released, what if the brain-computer chip virus becomes popular? What about sensory experiment thought stealing? Can connecting neurons directly hack the brain? Although neurons cannot transmit in the reverse direction.

Nowadays, mobile apps are stealing all kinds of privacy permissions, so doesn’t the brain-computer directly physically read the mind? Maybe in the future, there will be ads not only when you open your eyes, but also when you close your eyes. It’s scary to think about it.

Discussions like this are commonplace online.

Fang Hong, who was reading the material, seemed to be thinking to himself and said: "It is initially positioned as a medical device similar to a pacemaker. It is right to go in this direction."

Pacemakers also have risks. For example, they may stop working when encountering electromagnetic pulses, or even require human intervention. However, this medical device is still used. For patients, instead of worrying about future risks, they can now Living is the most important thing.

All in all, if we start with medical devices first, the opposition will be much smaller.

Qin Feng continued: "The research team's follow-up plan is to design a device that converts brain signals into actions. Two application directions have been identified. One is to restore people's vision, and the other is to help people who cannot move muscles control smartphones. and other devices, even restoring the whole body functions of people with spinal cord injuries.”

After this technology matures, the first users will be those who have lost their limbs, allowing paralyzed people to stand up and walk again. This is undoubtedly a rebirth for the disabled. In comparison, he is absolutely willing to do it. If you can get out of a wheelchair and take care of yourself and take those risks, what does it matter if you can really be read by others? What's privacy compared to this?

Fang Hong looked away from the material and looked at Qin Feng and asked: "Applications for restoring vision are aimed at acquired blindness? Can it be effective for people who are congenitally blind?"

Qin Feng immediately said: "It depends on the situation. Even for patients who are congenitally blind, as long as the part of their cerebral cortex that perceives vision still exists, there is a possibility of restoring vision. Currently, the brain chip of this research model needs to be surgically implanted. The operation itself is not difficult to get into the skull, and a good neurosurgeon can do it. There are tens of thousands of microelectrodes on the chip connected to the neurons of the brain, and then controlled through wireless communication technology.”

He added: "In the future, this technology can also be made non-invasive or wearable. It can be used not only by patients, but also by healthy people. It can also be enhanced and become an access terminal device for the Internet. This is also the first step of brain-computer interface technology." The ultimate goal, of course, is also very difficult to conquer technically.”

Fang Hong also finished reading the materials, put them aside and said in a deep voice after thinking: "This team still has something. Currently, no scientific research institution in the world has used flexible electrodes thinner than a hair to build invasive brain machines." Interfaces, invasive brain-computer interface technology that solves the problems of rejection and damage are more effective than non-invasive ones.”

The so-called invasive brain-computer interface, to put it bluntly, means "opening up the mind" in a physical sense. The non-invasive brain-computer interface, to put it bluntly, means wearable devices, such as wearable helmets.

Qin Feng also nodded and said: "The obstruction of brain electrical signals by the brain skull is physical. Without a cranial opening, it is difficult to accurately detect brain waves, and it is impossible to effectively stimulate brain neurons to form vision."

Fang Hong suddenly changed the subject: "The technology is not yet in place, and we need to continue to research technical problems. As a medical device similar to a pacemaker, the invasive brain-computer interface can assist specific groups of people, and the resistance will not be so great. The target group is also a small and specific group of patients who are in urgent need.”

"But as entertainment terminal devices like smartphones and computers, it is aimed at non-specific groups with comprehensive health. There will be great resistance from various sources. From the perspective of consumers, if you look at it from a consumer's perspective, you have to go to the head. Then he would rather not use it."

"Being read by others, having no personal privacy, having ads implanted in dreams at night, etc., these are all secondary. What people are most worried about is the fear of becoming a 'brain in a jar' and being controlled by others without knowing it, or even knowing it but being powerless. Even if this possibility is extremely low, not many people will be willing to try it. This fear is too suffocating."

Qin Feng nodded again and said, "Indeed. If you want to achieve true universal popularization, like the current smartphones, everyone has one, you still have to use non-invasive wearable devices."

If you make a non-invasive wearable device, such as wearing a perception helmet device, like a VR head display device, people's acceptance will be very different, and the psychological threshold of fear will be greatly reduced.

That is, you have the ability to say "no" at any time, the power to "refuse" at any time, and you can follow your own will at any time. If I don't want to use it, I can just take off the perception helmet I'm wearing to disconnect it without taking too much risk.

Although the invasive interface can also disconnect, it requires surgery to open the head again to take it out, which is very troublesome. There are also great risks in doing surgery on the head. What if there is a chance that you become an idiot?

In short, the difference between invasive and non-invasive is that it is easy to get on the car but difficult to get off. Once something unexpected happens, you may even be helpless. It is quite desperate. The latter can jump off the car at any time after getting on the car. If there is any sign of trouble, you can take off the sensing helmet equipment to avoid risks without having to open your head.

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