The emerging neurotech industry connecting brains to computers

Brain-computer interfaces and the promise of technological telepathy

Imagine you have a question you never heard before and within seconds, you just know the answer. Or you think about turning the lights on and the lights just turn on. Or your friend sends you a message and you can feel exactly what they felt when sending it. This, and many more things, could be possible by connecting our brains to computers.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are often portrayed in science fiction stories, and the possibility of using them to merge human brains with machines to enhance our capabilities is a common topic of discussion in transhumanist circles. These devices, also known as brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), create a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device, such as a computer, a robot or a prosthetic. BCIs enable individuals to control or interact with technology using their brain activity, or thoughts, alone.

The BCI devices can be either invasive or non-invasive. Non-invasive BCIs are those devices that do not require any surgery as they are not placed inside the head. Because of that, non-invasive BCIs are considered safe and pose little to no risk to the wearer. They are also cheaper, can be easily put on and taken…