The race to decipher the language of the brain has a new protagonist. From EPFL in Switzerland comes a neural chip that makes yesterday's technology seem obsolete.
A revolution in the field of neural chips
In the sector of brain-machine interfaces, where giants such as Elon Musk's Neuralink dominate media headlines, a new neural chip makes its way silently from the laboratories ofFederal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). This neural chip, smaller and more efficient than its famous rival, promises to revolutionize the way we interpret and translate brain activity into understandable text.
The new device, called MiBMI (Minimally Invasive Brain-Machine Interface), It's a remarkable leap forward in technology. Unlike Neuralink, which requires inserting 64 electrodes into the brain, EPFL's neural chip is incredibly compact and minimally invasive.
Mahsa Shoaran, head of the EPFL Integrated Neurotechnologies Laboratory (I'll link the search here), explains:
Our MiBMI neural chip allows us to convert intricate neural activity into readable text with high precision and low power consumption.
A feature that not only makes the chip safer for potential human applications, but also paves the way for practical, implantable solutions that could significantly improve communication skills for people with severe motor disabilities.
Impressive precision
What makes this neural chip truly extraordinary is its precision. In tests with real-time neural recordings collected from previous brain interfaces, the MiBMI chip achieved a 91% accuracy rate in converting neural activity into actual text. This level of accuracy is truly remarkable, especially considering the small size and low power consumption of the neural chip.
The Secret of the Neural Chip: Neural Shorthand
The EPFL chip's success lies largely in a new way of reading speech-processing signals sent by the brain. The researchers identified a set of very specific neural markers that are activated when a patient imagines writing each letter. These markers, called “distinctive neural codes” or DNCs, act as a kind of shorthand for each letter.
This innovative approach allows the MiBMI neural chip to process only the markers themselves, each taking up about a hundred bytes, rather than the thousands of bytes of neural data typically associated with imagining each letter. Efficiency in data processing is a key factor that allows the neural chip to do its job in a smaller space and with less power consumption.
Potential applications of the neural chip
EPFL's MiBMI chip opens up a wide range of potential applications, going far beyond simply converting thoughts into text. Here are some of the most promising applications that this technology could enable:
- Assisted communication for patients with severe motor disabilities: People with ALS, paralysis or other debilitating conditions could communicate effectively with the outside world.
- Control of advanced prostheses: The chip could allow for more natural and intuitive control of artificial limbs, significantly improving the quality of life of amputee patients.
- Revolutionary human-computer interfaces: A new generation of mind-controlled devices could emerge, capable of radically changing the way we interact with technology.
- Real-time neurological monitoring: The chip could provide valuable data for early diagnosis and monitoring of neurological conditions such as epilepsy or Parkinson's disease.
- Advanced neuroscientific research: This neural chip could offer researchers new tools to study the functioning of the human brain in an unprecedented level of detail.
These applications represent only the tip of the iceberg of the potential of this innovative technology. Certainly, in addition to these, other new and surprising possibilities will emerge.
Expansion potential of the neural chip
Currently, the MiBMI neural chip it is capable of decoding 31 different characters, a record for similar embedded systems. The researchers are confident they can eventually expand this capability up to 100 different characters, further expanding the communication possibilities for users.
But there's more. The neural chip's immediate application focuses on converting thoughts into text, but EPFL researchers are already exploring other possible uses.
We are collaborating with other research groups to test the system in different contexts, such as language decoding and motion control. The goal is to develop a versatile neural chip that can be adapted to various neurological disorders, offering a wider range of solutions for patients.
Mahsa Shoaran, EPFL
Future implications of the neural chip
The potential applications of this technology are vast and promising. For people with ALS or other severe motor disabilities, a device like the MiBMI neural chip could represent a breakthrough in their ability to communicate with the outside world.
Additionally, as neural chip technology evolves, we may see applications that go beyond medical care, opening up new frontiers in human-machine interaction.
In short (Italian only)
With its combination of small size, low power consumption and high precision, the EPFL chip can truly challenge the industry giants, and redefine everything that is possible in the field of neurotechnology.
While awaiting the first tests on humans and the future developments that will follow, we can only imagine the future of assisted communication as more promising than ever. Perhaps, in the not too distant future, the fact of being able to "speak" simply by thinking, thanks to a neural chip, will be a splendid reality for those who today have no voice.
