Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Attempting To Make Brain-Machine Interfaces To Help Individuals With Paralysis

The development of Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMIs), sometimes known as neural interfaces, is a quickly growing field of study and expertise. While many references to this theoretical technology have been made in science-fiction novels of decades past, new research and ventures around the globe are revealing potentially viable strides in this area. One of the most commonly cited and researched areas is BMI applications for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, who may often lose control of limbs or movement due to their injury. In simplified terms per the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, “BMI systems analyze brain signals to allow control of devices that are used to assist SCI patients. Such devices may include a computer, robotic arm, or exoskeleton. Limb reanimation technologies, which include functional electrical stimulation, epidural stimulation, and intraspinal microstimulation systems, activate neuronal pathways below the level of the SCI.”