Tomorrow afternoon, instead of putting on a VR headset, imagine simply closing your eyes and finding yourself in a completely different world. Just like magic. This is the future of virtual experience that companies like Neuralink are building right now.
With three patients already equipped with functioning brain interfaces and plans to expand to 30 implants by 2025, we are on the cusp of a transformation that will make all current devices obsolete. Again, the point is when we are ready to accept it.
The technology that will change the virtual experience
Le brain-computer interfaces (BCI) represent the beating heart of this transformation. Elon Musk recently announced that Neuralink has reached 9 bits per second mouse control speed, doubling the previous record. The epochal breakthrough, however, would be in the opposite direction: sending signals directly to the brain to create sensations indistinguishable from reality.
The research published on Nature shows that we are addressing the fundamental challenges of the complete virtual experience. It is not just about improving the resolution of the screens, but to completely bypass our natural senses. Rajesh Rao of the Center for Neurotechnology at the University of Washington explains that over 45 clinical trials are testing different approaches, from invasive ones like Neuralink to less invasive solutions like those of Synchronous.
Artificial intelligence is completing the other piece of the puzzle. As I told you in this article, AI models can already generate realistic virtual environments in real time, adapting to the user's actions. We are no longer talking about pre-programmed worlds, but about realities that are created instantly based on our thoughts and desires. At the same time, research on artificial senses is making surprising progress. Scientists have developed an “electronic lollipop” that can simulate any flavor using electrical currents and flavored gels. Other teams are working on exoskeletons as Holotron to simulate complete tactile sensations.
You know what comes out when you connect the dots, right?
Use cases that change everything
The total virtual experience would open up unimaginable possibilities. In the medical sector, surgeons could operate remotely with millimeter precision, while paralyzed patients could “walk” again in virtual bodies. Teaching would transform: learn Roman history by walking through the Colosseum under construction, or study anatomy by literally walking inside a beating heart.
The remote work sector would reach a new dimension. Instead of flat video calls, colleagues from all over the world could collaborate in virtual offices that look just like real ones, manipulating three-dimensional objects with their hands. Entertainment would explode beyond all limits: no longer passive spectators, but active protagonists of every story, for "adults" (with all the trimmings) and children. But, even if we were able to achieve this result, would it be appropriate? Would it really benefit us? Let's ask ourselves two questions, as the famous journalist would say, and give ourselves some answers.
The reasons for yes and no
Why should we do this? The complete virtual experience could eliminate many physical and geographical barriers. People with motor disabilities could have experiences that are impossible in the real world. We could drastically reduce physical travel, with enormous environmental benefits. Medicine, education and scientific research would make quantum leaps.
And why shouldn't we? The risks are equally enormous. Technology that directly accesses the brain raises terrifying questions about mental privacy. What if someone “hacked” our virtual experience? How would we distinguish the real from the virtual? The risk of addiction to artificial perfect worlds could lead to the abandonment of physical reality.
The ethical challenge of virtual experience
As emphasized a study published in Frontiers in Human Dynamics, direct intervention in the brain raises unprecedented ethical questions. Who will control these systems? How will we ensure that they are not used to manipulate thoughts or emotions?
marco baptista of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation calls the technology “very exciting,” but cautions that it’s too early to determine which approach will work best. With Intel predicts 16K displays by 2040 for “indistinguishable from reality” experiences, time is running out to decide how to manage this revolution.
The race is on. Companies like Paradromics, Precision Neuroscience, and BlackRock Neurotech are investing billions. The question is not whether the total virtual experience will arrive, but whether we are ready to handle the consequences. In ten or twenty years, if someone closes their eyes to enter perfect worlds, will they still remember what it means to be human?
