Brain-computer interface company Synchron is outpacing Neuralink, its Elon Musk backed rival competitor, in part through its work with UPMC.
The New York City-based company announced today that it was launching a registry on its website for patients interested in participating in a large-scale clinical trial.
So far, Synchron has implemented 10 patients globally with a brain-computer interface (BCI) as part of early feasibility studies. BCIs are an experimental technology using an implantable computer chip to allow patients to connect with technology via their brain waves, with current applications primarily aiming to help disabled individuals.
The initial implementations by Synchron were four patients in Australia, followed by six in the United States. Two of these six patients were implanted at the UPMC clinical study site by UPMC doctors. The process is described as a “minimally-invasive endovascular procedure” in which the BCI is implanted in a blood vessel on the surface of the motor cortex in the brain via the jugular vein.
“BCI technology enables individuals with motor impairment to regain independence,” said Chief of the UPMC Neuromuscular Division David Lacomis in a prepared statement. “By controlling digital devices through one’s own thoughts, BCI offers a transformative path towards performing daily tasks with greater ease and efficiency. From communication to accessing essential services online, BCI technology represents a groundbreaking frontier for individuals and their families.”
In 2020, the company reported that two of the patients in Australia, both of which have disabilities, could use the device to type at 16 characters per minute. Typing speeds vary across the industry, in part because each individual's disability is different, and some present unique challenges. For example, stroke patients may not have a significant enough amount of remaining neural signaling due to brain damage. A spokesperson for Synchron wrote that “we expect typing speed to improve from patients on our COMMAND study.”
Neuralink, Synchron’s main competitor, has implanted its BCI in one paralyzed patient. The testing was on a verbal patient, so it did not focus on typing speeds. The paralyzed patient has demonstrated himself playing chess, and has reportedly played the video game Mario Kart 8 Deluxe enough to be “coming in second repeatedly," according to the patient. On a video streamed on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, the patient himself said that “there is still a lot of work to be done."
Opinions differ on the long-term implementation of this technology.
Synchron is focused on “restoring functionality in patients with limited mobility” while Musk has indicated that he views Neuralink as someday helping humans “achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence.” In a recent article on Vox, Synchron CEO Tom Oxley said that the long-term goal of developing BCIs for symbiosis potentially clashes with the short-term necessities for patient-oriented care.
