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  • - So we're gonna start the experiment, okay.

  • - [Narrator] That experiment you're seeing now

  • is something only a handful of people have experienced.

  • Having a microchip read your mind from inside your head.

  • It's part of a growing industry that includes,

  • Elon Musk's, Neuralink, which says it just implanted

  • its first chip into a human brain,

  • but other devices have already proven to telepathically

  • control computers and wirelessly operate prosthetics.

  • - It's a fundamentally different class

  • of medical device than anything we've ever seen before.

  • - [Narrator] Here's an inside look at how two

  • of the implants challenging Neuralink work

  • and what it will take to get them to consumers.

  • - Elon musk is the kind of person

  • who has very, very expansive visions of the future.

  • His idea is we're actually gonna augment

  • perfectly healthy humans with this chip

  • so that we can go along for the ride with AI as it advances.

  • - It's gonna be important for us to figure out

  • how we coexist with advanced artificial intelligence.

  • - [Narrator] While Elon Musk's end goal for Neuralink

  • is wider reaching, it's starting with addressing

  • a specific medical condition,

  • which other leading implantable BCIS

  • or brain computer interfaces are also aiming to treat.

  • - The technology is for people

  • who can no longer use their smartphones.

  • It's people whose hands don't work.

  • So it's things like stroke. ALS, muscular dystrophy,

  • multiple sclerosis, severe arthritis, cerebral palsy.

  • - [Narrator] These implants right now don't cure

  • these issues, but they could allow someone

  • who has lost use of their hands to say,

  • move a computer mouse.

  • Just by thinking.

  • - Our patients describe feeling a little bit

  • like they're locked in their own body,

  • their brain still working and they want to do things,

  • but you depend on other people to engage.

  • So it sort of gets to like a restoration of agency autonomy.

  • - Tom Oxley is a CEO of Synchron,

  • one of the five leading BCIs that are competing

  • in the industry.

  • While they vary in several ways,

  • there's one major difference that sets them apart.

  • Invasiveness, or how deeply implanted they are in the brain.

  • - Where neurotechnology has been developing

  • is to try to make devices that are less invasive,

  • but also devices that work better,

  • devices that can get more information in and out.

  • Devices that can target specific regions of the brain

  • - Neuralink device and others like it have to be implanted

  • directly into or onto the brain in order

  • to gather more data.

  • Synchron, on the other hand, is a stent that is implanted

  • into a blood vessel in the surface of the brain.

  • It's less risky than brain surgery,

  • but the placement can affect what information

  • the implant gets from the brain.

  • - There's a whole bunch of different ideas

  • for what's gonna give you the best brain signal readings

  • and from that data, can we do more?

  • But then there's a trade off with invasiveness,

  • and so you have all these companies doing

  • slightly different things, hoping to come up

  • with sort of the the best recipe.

  • - [Narrator] Here's how Synchrons device works.

  • - So I have a stent road here,

  • which is the electrode array that goes into the brain,

  • so I'll just bring it out of the catheter.

  • So you can see it opened up outside of the catheter here,

  • so we should see it coming up in a minute.

  • If you look down here,

  • you'll see something coming up inside the brain now.

  • - That stent road, as Synchro calls,

  • their device is a number of electrodes that pick up

  • electrical signals that correspond with specific thoughts.

  • Those signals run down into this chip,

  • which is implanted in the chest.

  • It wirelessly sends the signals to a computer

  • that transforms them into a digital command,

  • like a mouse click.

  • - So where your brain previously made your hand move,

  • like mine is doing right now,

  • it now is pushing a cursor to do navigate

  • and click on a screen.

  • - [Narrator] Synchro has successfully put permanent implants

  • in 10 patients so far as part of its clinical trials.

  • - You can, sometimes you can feel it.

  • Same as a pacemaker.

  • - [Narrator] Precision, whose implant you saw

  • in the surgery earlier is testing a temporary version

  • of its device.

  • The company is using volunteers who are already scheduled

  • for other brain operations to implant

  • its electrode array to collect data

  • and then remove it at the end of the surgery.

  • Right now, the device is recording brain activity

  • as the patient goes through the motions

  • of rock paper, scissors.

  • - Patients in this study are wearing a glove

  • on each hand that allows us to track the movement

  • of the hand in real time with a very, very high sensitivity

  • so that we know exactly what each finger is doing

  • and where the fingers in the hand and the arm are in space,

  • and we can correlate that with the electrical activity

  • that is happening on the motor cortex just before and during

  • and after the execution of a movement.

  • - [Narrator] That data is projected onto this grid,

  • which is like a map of the brain.

  • These red areas are where more activity

  • is happening with each action.

  • This helps researchers understand

  • how the brain activates different movements,

  • and they can later use that data to help paralyzed patients

  • control a computer with their minds, for example.

  • - We can predict what's about to happen

  • even before the patient speaks or moves.

  • - In terms of invasiveness,

  • Precision's, electrode array is meant to slide in through

  • a slit in the skull to sit just on top of the brain.

  • In order to make it to market.

  • These devices will have to prove to the FDA

  • that they're both safe and worth the risk,

  • and then they'll still need to get buy-in

  • from other players throughout the industry.

  • - We have to think about the insurance providers.

  • We have to think about the hospitals.

  • We have to think about the physicians

  • who are prescribing the devices.

  • All of these people have to get together and agree

  • that this is the best path forward.

  • It's something that they want and they recognize

  • the benefit of it.

  • - [Narrator] That process could take years,

  • but some experts think that they could start

  • hitting the market sometime in the next decade.

  • While Musk's vision of putting chips into healthy brains

  • is likely much further away than that,

  • the uses for BCIS have the potential

  • to expand in that time too.

  • Motif Neurotech, for instance,

  • is working on minimally invasive BCI technology

  • that could help treat mental health

  • disorders like depression.

  • - Where I see the future is a company

  • maybe Neuralink or Parapalegic that focus on high bandwidth.

  • There's gonna be companies like Synchron

  • and Motif that focus on minimal invasiveness.

  • Naturally, those customers

  • are gonna start to look different.

  • At that point, I think there's gonna be more competition

  • between these companies as they start to establish

  • who is the number one person in Neurotech.

  • But right now, I think there's room for all of us

  • to try to find a space. (soft music)

- So we're gonna start the experiment, okay.

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B2 US brain narrator implanted device electrode implant

Neuralink's Rival Tests Brain Chip in Race to Bring Implants to Market | WSJ

  • 18 2
    林宜悉 posted on 2024/03/22
Video vocabulary

Keywords

specific

US /spɪˈsɪfɪk/

UK /spəˈsɪfɪk/

  • adjective
  • Relating to a particular species, structure, etc.
  • Precise; particular; just about that thing
  • Relating to a particular thing.
  • Clearly defined or identified.
  • Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.
  • Concerning one particular thing or kind of thing
sort

US /sɔrt/

UK /sɔ:t/

  • verb
  • To arrange things in a systematic way, typically into groups.
  • To arrange things in groups according to type.
  • To organize things by putting them into groups
  • To deal with things in an organized way
  • noun
  • A category of things or people with a common feature; a type.
  • Group or class of similar things or people
potential

US /pəˈtɛnʃəl/

UK /pəˈtenʃl/

  • noun
  • someone's or something's ability to develop, achieve, or succeed
  • The possibility of something happening or some quality that somebody/something has.
  • A person who is being considered for a job, position, award, etc.
  • A latent quality or ability that may be developed.
  • adjective
  • Capable of happening or becoming reality
  • Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.
  • Possible of becoming something
  • Possible, able to happen; something that can develop or become a reality.
  • Possible; likely to develop into a particular type of person or thing in the future
  • Possible or likely in the future
  • other
  • The ability to develop into something in the future
  • The capacity to develop into something in the future
  • The amount of energy that something has stored
  • The possibility of something happening or some quality that somebody/something has
  • other
  • The capacity to develop into something in the future
  • The amount of energy that something has stored in it because of its position or condition
  • The possibility of something happening or some quality that somebody/something has
recognize

US /ˈrek.əɡ.naɪz/

UK /ˈrek.əɡ.naɪz/

  • other
  • To accept that something is true or important
  • To know someone or something because you have seen or heard them before
  • To officially accept or approve of a country, government, etc.
  • To realize or understand something
  • To acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of something.
  • To show appreciation for someone's efforts or qualities.
  • To identify someone or something seen before.
  • To understand and accept the importance of something.
  • verb
  • To accept the truth or reality of something
  • To officially accept or approve of something
  • To consider something as important or special
  • To accept the legal authority of someone, thing
  • To know someone or something because you have seen or heard them before
  • To publicly show appreciation for someone's work
  • To know someone or something because you have seen or heard him or her or experienced it before
engage

US /ɪn'gedʒ/

UK /ɪn'ɡeɪdʒ/

  • verb
  • To attract and hold someone's attention.
  • To employ or hire someone.
  • To start to fight with an enemy
  • To hire someone for a task or job
  • To have or hold the focus or interest of someone
  • To interlock or cause to interlock.
  • To carry out, participate in; be involved in
  • To participate or become involved in something.
  • other
  • To attract and hold someone's interest or attention.
  • To begin fighting or attacking.
  • To begin fighting or attacking.
  • To employ or hire someone for a specific task or role.
  • To hire or employ someone.
  • To interlock or cause to interlock.
  • To bind oneself by a promise or contract; to pledge.
  • To attract and hold someone's attention.
  • To employ or hire.
  • other
  • To participate or become involved in something.
  • To participate or become involved in.
slightly

US /ˈslaɪtli/

UK /ˈslaɪtli/

  • adverb
  • Only a little
permanent

US /ˈpɚmənənt/

UK /'pɜ:mənənt/

  • adjective
  • Lasting forever; not temporary or changing
  • Existing or intended to exist for a long or unlimited period
  • Remaining in the same state or condition.
  • Remaining in the same state or condition.
  • Intended to last or remain for an unlimited period
  • Lasting or intended to last or remain unchanged indefinitely
  • Designed to remain in a particular place or state for a long time.
  • Continuing or intended to continue without significant change.
  • noun
  • A person who is a permanent employee.
  • A chemical treatment to create lasting curls or waves in the hair.
experience

US /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

UK /ɪk'spɪərɪəns/

  • noun
  • An event at which you learned something
  • Thing a person has done or that happened to them
  • An event or occurrence that leaves an impression on someone.
  • Knowledge gained by living life, doing new things
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing, seeing, or feeling things.
  • other
  • An event or occurrence
  • other
  • An event or occurrence that leaves an impression on someone.
  • Something that happens to you that affects how you feel
  • other
  • An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone.
  • An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone
  • other
  • Knowledge or skill that is gained from doing something for a period of time
  • Previous work in a particular field.
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing something.
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing, feeling, or seeing things
  • other
  • To encounter or undergo (an event or situation)
  • To have something happen to you
  • To have something happen to you
  • verb
  • To gain knowledge by doing things
  • To have something happen to you.
  • other
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing something
severe

US /səˈvɪr/

UK /sɪ'vɪə(r)/

  • adjective
  • Very bad; harsh
  • (Of clothes, etc.) plain; simple; not decorated
treat

US /trit/

UK /tri:t/

  • noun
  • something that tastes good and that is not eaten often
  • Something you buy for others as a surprise present
  • Something special that gives pleasure.
  • other
  • To subject to some process or action; to apply a substance to.
  • To behave towards someone in a specific way.
  • To pay for something for someone as a gift or pleasure.
  • To give medical care or attention to; try to heal.
  • verb
  • To pay for the food or enjoyment of someone else
  • To use medical methods to try to cure an illness
  • To act in a certain way toward someone