Direkte hjernegrænseflade til at drive næste generations proteser

Forskere fra Northwestern University udviklede og testede med succes en direkte hjernegrænsefladeenhed, der har potentiale til at ryste markederne. Den nye kontrolmekanisme er omtrent på størrelsen af et poststempel og kan kommunikere direkte med neuroner, ved at omgå traditionelle sansekanaler.

The discovery could have a resounding effect on several sectors, including the medical, communication, military, and tech industries. It opens the door for a new level in high-tech control systems that could make communication as easy as having a thought. Here’s what you need to know.

Udviklingen af hjerne-maskine kommunikation

Human-machine communication has come a long way over the last century. The earliest devices needed their controls to be directly input via coding from humans using keyboards. Today, advanced tech like Large Language Model (LLM) AI systems makes it easier than ever to communicate with machines. However, there has been one area of machine-human interaction that has remained just out of the public’s reach—mind control.

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have long been seen as the holy grail in terms of communicating with devices. Unlike other control methods, BMIs skip over your neurological pathways responsible for sensory input data (eyes, ears, touch). These systems go straight to the source to retrieve or send data.

Fra alfa-bølger til implantater

The history of this technology dates back to 1924, when Hans Berger first recorded neurological signals in the form of alpha waves. Decades later, with support from DARPA, Jacques Vidal coined the term “Brain Computer Interface.” By 2004, human patients like Mathew Nagle were controlling devices using wired implants like BrainGate.

However, earlier designs faced significant limitations. They were often large, required cables running through the skull to outside power sources, and lacked long-term stability. This limited their use to laboratory settings and prevented widespread adoption.

Northwestern-gennembruddet

Scientists at Northwestern University may have solved several of these problems. According to the scientific study Patterned wireless transcranial optogenetics generates artificial perception¹ published in Nature Neuroscience, the group successfully designed and tested a minimally invasive micro brain interface machine.

This miniaturized transcranial optogenetic neural stimulator uses patterned pulses of red light to deliver information directly to light-sensitive neurons in the cortex. By activating large ensembles of cells in specific spatiotemporal patterns, it generates “artificial percepts” that the brain can learn to interpret.

Hvordan “Poststempel”-enheden fungerer

The BMI was designed to be as small as possible. Its flexible design is thinner than a bank card and can conform to the patient’s scalp. The implant resides directly on the skull’s surface with its lights facing inward. This positioning allows the device to shine light directly through the skull to hit the neurons, eliminating the need for wires penetrating the brain tissue.

The core of this technology is an array of 64 micro-LEDs. These red lights are capable of delivering light through the skull with minimal loss, creating complex, programmable patterns. Unlike previous single-LED designs, this 64-light grid can stimulate broad networks of neurons, mimicking natural sensory processing.

Trådløs og minimalt invasiv

One of the biggest advantages of the system is its wireless capabilities. By controlling the device remotely, the group eliminated cumbersome control wires and power cables. This not only improves patient quality of life but also reduces the risk of infection and allows for real-time software updates.

Resultater: Skabelse af “Kunstig perception”

The engineers validated their theory using genetically modified lab mice with light-sensitive regions in their cortex. The results were eye-opening.

The implants successfully delivered predefined light patterns to exact neurons. Impressively, the mice were able to “decode” these artificial signals. Even when denied sight and touch, the mice could navigate a test area to find food based solely on the light signals beamed into their brains. They interpreted the light patterns as meaningful clues, proving that the brain can adapt to and understand this new form of direct communication.

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Medicinsk og sensorisk genoprettelse

Der er et enormt udvalg af medicinske anvendelser for denne teknologi. Den kunne bruges til at skabe næste generations proteser, der gør det muligt for brugeren at føle og kontrollere enheden ud fra deres tanker. Den kunne også hjælpe dem, der er blinde eller døve, ved at levere kunstige stimuli direkte til de dele af hjernen, der håndterer disse sanser.

En bemærkning om menneskelig anvendelse: Selvom selve enheden er ikke-invasiv (sidder uden for kraniet), afhænger den biologiske komponent af optogenetik. Det betyder, at patienter først vil kræve gen-terapi for at gøre deres neuroner lyssensitive. Selvom dette i øjeblikket er almindeligt i dyremodeller, er denne genetiske modificering en betydelig regulatorisk og sikkerhedsmæssig hindring for menneskelig anvendelse, hvilket forklarer tidslinjen på 10+ år.

Militær og forsvar

Militæret har længe søgt måder at forbedre kampkapaciteter på. Dette projekt kunne hjælpe soldater med at kommunikere og dele data på slagmarken i realtid uden at tale, eller styre udstyr med forbedrede reaktionstider.

Markedsfokus: Investering i hjerne-computer grænseflader

Flere virksomheder har brugt millioner på at forske i, hvordan man laver pålidelige hjerne-computer grænseflader. Et firma, der fortsat dominerer markedet, er ClearPoint Neuro Inc.

ClearPoint Neuro Inc. (NASDAQ: CLPT)

ClearPoint Neuro Inc. gik ind på markedet i 1998 med målet om at forbedre medicinske praksisser ved at udnytte avanceret teknologi. Grundlagt af Paul A. Bottomley, leverer virksomheden navigationssystemer til minimalt invasive neurovidenskabelige procedurer. Deres platforme er afgørende for leveringen af gen-terapier og elektrodeplaceringer, som næste generations BMI’er vil kræve.

Konklusion

Når du undersøger disse fuldt optiske hjerne-maskine kommunikationssystemer, er det let at forestille sig en fremtid, hvor robotter styres med din tanke. Denne undersøgelse kan være begyndelsen på en ny generation af tankekontrollerede enheder, der får de fleste sci-fi-forestillinger til at virke forældede.

Hvad synes du om hjerne-kontrollerede computere? Ville du bruge en? Synes godt om, kommenter og del denne artikel for at diskutere fremtiden for computing.

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Referencer

^{1. Wu, M., Yang, Y., Zhang, J. et al. Mønstrede trådløse transkraniale optogenetik genererer kunstig perception. Nature Neuroscience (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-02127-6}