A Neuralink Rival Just Tested a Brain Implant in a Person

Brain-computer interface startup Paradromics today announced that surgeons successfully inserted the company’s brain implant into a patient and safely removed it after about 10 minutes. It’s a step toward longer trials of the device, dubbed Connexus. It’s also the latest commercial development in a growing field of companies—including Elon Musk’s Neuralink—aiming to connect people’s brains directly to computers. With the Connexus, Austin-based Paradromics is looking to restore speech and communication in people with spinal cord injury, stroke, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS. The device is designed to translate neural signals into synthesized speech, text, and cursor control. Paradromics, which was founded in 2015, has been testing its implant in sheep for the past few years. This is the first time it has used the device in a human patient. The procedure took place on May 14 at the University of Michigan and was conducted in a person who was undergoing brain surg ... Read full article.