{"id":42681,"date":"2025-05-03T18:58:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T13:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=42681"},"modified":"2025-05-03T18:58:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T13:28:32","slug":"brain-computer-interface-bci-to-enable-movement-in-people-with-paralysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-05-2025\/brain-computer-interface-bci-to-enable-movement-in-people-with-paralysis","title":{"rendered":"Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) to Enable Movement in People with Paralysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Researchers from the University of California, have developed a new brain-computer interface that enables movement for people who are paralysed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Brain-Computer Interface is a<strong> direct communication pathway<\/strong> between the <strong>brain\u2019s electrical activity and an external device.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Typically, BCIs are used to assist, augment, or repair human cognitive or sensory-motor functions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In this case, the BCI records signals from the brain\u2019s motor cortex\u2014the area responsible for movement\u2014and decodes them using artificial intelligence to operate robotic limbs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Types of BCIs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Invasive BCI: <\/strong>The devices are <strong>surgically implanted into the brain<\/strong> to directly interact with the nervous system, enabling communication and control between the brain and external devices.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It offers the <strong>most accurate signals<\/strong>; used in cases of paralysis or locked-in syndrome.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Example: Neuralink\u2019s Blindsight<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Partially Invasive BCI: <\/strong>The devices are<strong> implanted within the skull but rest outside the brain,<\/strong> typically on the dura mater, a membrane surrounding the brain.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are used to record electrical signals from the brain&#8217;s surface using techniques like <strong>electrocorticography (ECoG).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Non-Invasive BCI: <\/strong>These<strong> <\/strong>are systems that <strong>allow users to interact with external devices (like computers or robots)<\/strong> using their thoughts, without the need for surgery.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They typically use external sensors like <strong>EEG electrodes <\/strong>to detect brain signals, making them safer and more accessible than invasive BCIs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Applications of BCIs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Medical and Rehabilitation:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Assistive Devices: <\/strong>Control of wheelchairs, robotic arms, or computer cursors by people with paralysis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neurorehabilitation: <\/strong>Post-stroke motor recovery by training brain pathways through BCIs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prosthetic Control:<\/strong> Artificial limbs operated via brain signals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education and Training:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Attention Monitoring:<\/strong> In classrooms to track student engagement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Skill Development: <\/strong>Feedback on focus or brain activity while learning complex tasks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Industry and Automation:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>BCI in Human-Robot Interaction: <\/strong>Enhancing collaborative robots in factories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hands-Free Control in Hazardous Work: <\/strong>For miners or chemical plant workers where hands are occupied.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns Associated with BCIs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Privacy: <\/strong>There is a significant risk of <strong>misuse of neural data <\/strong>collected through BCIs, as these systems can potentially access sensitive thoughts, intentions, or emotions of individuals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Divide:<\/strong> High costs and technological complexity of BCI systems could widen the digital divide, leaving marginalized groups without access to these life-changing innovations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mental Autonomy: <\/strong>There are concerns that prolonged use of BCIs might alter brain function or reduce an individual\u2019s sense of agency, raising questions about mental autonomy and identity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To ensure that BCIs benefit the masses, especially people with disabilities, it is essential to develop low-cost, scalable solutions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Public-private partnerships and startups can help translate lab innovations into real-world applications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Further establishing educational programs and professional certifications will help build a skilled workforce in this emerging field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/brain-implants-could-restore-paralysed-patients-arm-movements\/article67356424.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Researchers from the University of California, have developed a new brain-computer interface that enables movement for people who are paralysed.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What is a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A Brain-Computer Interface is a direct communication pathway between the brain\u2019s electrical activity and an external device.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Typically, BCIs are used to assist, augment, or repair human cognitive or sensory-motor functions.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-05-2025\/brain-computer-interface-bci-to-enable-movement-in-people-with-paralysis\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42681"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42689,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42681\/revisions\/42689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}