BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACES AND HUMAN AUGMENTATION
Exoskeletons will help the paralysed walk again and keep factory workers safe
Part of technology’s promise is that it will enable us to exceed our natural capabilities. One of the areas where that promise is most apparent is brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), devices, implanted into your brain, that detect and decode neural signals to control computers or machinery by thought. Perhaps the best example of BMIs’ potential came in October 2019 when Thibault, a paralysed Frenchman, used one to control an exoskeleton that enabled him to walk. What’s currently holding BMIs back, however, is the number of electrodes that can be safely implanted to detect brain activity and that, being metal, the electrodes can damage brain tissue and will eventually corrode and stop working.
But last July, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk announced his company, Neuralink, could provide a solution. Not only does the Neuralink BMI claim to use more electrodes, they’re carried on flexible polymer ‘threads’ that are less likely to cause damage or corrode. But it’s difficult to know for sure how realistic these claims are, as the company has remained tight-lipped about the technology. Furthermore, it’s yet to be trialled in humans.
Even without BMIs, exoskeletons are already being used to augment human capabilities, particularly for people whose capabilities might be limited as a result of illness or injury. At Hobbs Rehabilitation in Winchester, specialist physiotherapist Louis Martinelli uses an exoskeleton that straps on to a patient’s back, hips, legs and feet to help them stand and step.
“If the patient has had a really severe spinal cord injury, this is the only way to get them up and stepping sufficiently across the room,” he says. “It’s been shown to be really beneficial, particularly for blood pressure management, reducing the risk of vascular diseases, and bladder and bowel function.”
With the exoskeleton, only one to two physiotherapists are needed to assist the patient rather than a team of four or more. But it also allows the patient to achieve a lot more – taking several hundred steps during a session instead of the 10-20 with conventional therapy. There are potential applications elsewhere – upper body exoskeletons are being trialled in a US Ford manufacturing plant to help people carry heavy car parts.
But as useful as lower-body exoskeletons are, they’re unlikely to replace wheelchairs anytime soon. That’s partly because they struggle with uneven surfaces and can’t match walking speed, but also because they’re so much more expensive. Wheelchair prices start in the region of £150, whereas an exoskeleton can set you back anywhere between £90,000-£125,000. This is why Martinelli would like to see the technology get a little simpler in the years to come. “What I’d like to see is the availability of these pieces of equipment increase because they’re very expensive. For individuals to get access to an exoskeleton is really difficult, maybe a simpler version that was half the price would allow more centres or more places to have them.”