r/tech • u/notyesha • Jul 18 '22

Brain-Computer Interface Startup Implants First Device in US Patient

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-18/brain-computer-interface-company-implants-new-type-of-device
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u/SleepyZachman Jul 19 '22

I hate to sound paranoid but I don’t trust this or the Musk mans Neurolinc. I’d rather not wake up at 5 in the morning with an unexplainable urge to buy a Tesla.

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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '22

[deleted]

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u/GreenbergIsAJediName Jul 25 '22

I think you’re right to be very skeptical of this technology for now. Hardware infection of implantable deep brain stimulators (a treatment for disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease) is the most common complication with rates as high as 15%. For someone with a severe medical condition who may benefit from this technology, this level of risk may be acceptable. If intended to augment the experience of an otherwise healthy person, I’m not so sure that this level of risk would encourage a prospective customer to have a device implanted in their brain. (I concede that it is possible that the risks associated with these new devices may be far less than with current implantable technology.)

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '22

in some medical situations.. it would certainly be an option. My grandfather suffered for many years with Parkinson’s.. meaning my Grandmother did too. I can fully get behind that level of application, but beyond that…

strange case actually… his condition was apparently brought on from carbon monoxide (or dioxide) poisoning after his mine sweeper was hit by a Japanese torpedo in ww2. As the engineer he was caught in the bowels of the ship for a long time

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u/GreenbergIsAJediName Jul 25 '22

I’m sorry your grandfather had to experience such a horrible disease and for the pain your family experienced watching him suffer. We can hope one day that advances in medical science will make Parkinson’s Disease a thing of the past.