Experts exchange ideas at UT's Hook Dem House at SXSW
You don't need to understand neuroscience to understand the joy patients are experiencing with technological, almost science fiction advances in brain research.
That sentiment was evident in a recorded message played Friday in front of a South by Southwest panel on brain-computer interfaces held at UT's Hook 'M House at Antone's. .
“Living with this difficult disease for the better part of 30 years is very, very difficult,” said Richard R., who lives with multiple sclerosis. “You cannot underestimate the value of hope.”
Brain-computer interface technology (BCI) may still sound like an early concept. But researchers at the Dell School of Medicine at the University of Texas at Austin are ahead of the curve in thinking about how technology can improve people's daily lives. Some are pondering the social implications of BCIs, not to mention the legal and ethical issues of connecting computer chips to the brain.
Everyone from curious SXSW badge holders to VILs (Very Important Longhorns) packed into the Longhorn Loft to hear an hour-long panel that captured the imagination and ingenuity of this cutting-edge research. .
“Throughout my career, I have seen horrific neurological diseases that rob people of their ability to move, speak, understand, and feel,” said David Pei, professor and chair of neurology at Dell Medical School. Dulfer said. “In the end, they often choose to die early because the building blocks of what they feel are lost.
“Now, for the first time, the discovery pipeline is accelerating. There's a lot of stuff right here in Austin.”
BCI technology received media attention after Neuralink, a company owned by Elon Musk, announced that it had successfully implanted a chip into the human brain. The company said the unidentified patient has made a full recovery and is now able to use his thoughts to control a computer mouse.
Still, many questions remain about how a tiny coin-sized chip implanted in your skill along with wires connected to your brain can help, harm or impact your daily functioning. .
“Almost everything you see on YouTube today, including robotic arm locomotion, was done with equipment from 1989,” Paradromics CEO Matt Angle said. “Brain-computer interfaces have not improved since 1989.”
At about the same time, Mr. Ingres added: “Applications are about to explode.”
Who, whether a patient or a company, is willing to cut corners to improve their quality of life? Or is it a financial return? On this question alone, panel moderator Kavita Patel, director of physical and policy research, suggested that individual enthusiasm may trump oversight.
“Consumers are probably more concerned about the pace at which the FDA and other regulatory frameworks are developed,” Patel said.
There are currently approximately 16 BCI devices approved by the FDA. Amanda Pustilnik, a law professor at the University of Maryland, compared the current legal framework to a “new highway system layered on top of existing rules and regulations.” This becomes difficult when you consider the possibility of parliamentary oversight and further regulation.
“You're all here because you've heard about BCI, and that's great,” Pustilnik said. “But on the other hand, the hype can be scary and carry the risk of speculative sensationalism.”
This is not science fiction. BCI technology is here. The device “already exists and is approved,” Paydarfar said. “But how do we optimize them for other purposes? We haven't quite figured it out yet.”
