Η Synchronous, a brain-computer interface startup, reportedly implanted its first device in a US patient earlier this month.
The startup implanted a 3,81cm device into the brain of a patient with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or motor neuron disease) at Mount Sinai West Medical Center in New York on July 6, it first reported Bloomberg.
The purpose of the device is to allow the patient to communicate (he has lost the ability to move) by using his thoughts to send emails and messages. Bloomberg reported that Synchron has already implanted the device in four patients in Australia who were able to use the brain implant to send WhatsApp messages and shop online.
Elon Musk's Neuralink has a similar mission, but is still awaiting FDA approval.
“The Neuralink and Synchron products have several key differences in size and installation”, the publication states.
“The Australian startup's product can be inserted into the human skull without having to cut through a catheter that places the device through the jugular vein into a blood vessel in the brain. The procedure requires two separate surgeries.”
"Instead, Neuralink plans to build a much smaller but much more powerful device that will require removing part of the skull using a robot."
