Nowadays when the stuff of science fiction is coming true with Quantum Computers and Photorealistic Graphics in mobile chipsets, it comes as no wonder that a Swiss group of researchers (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) has developed a real 11,000 electrode reprogrammable chip that can be easily configured as a Brain to Computer Interface.

The CMOS Field-Programmable Gate Array Brain To Computer Interface

Our brains are basically a type of advanced array processing unit with our neurons acting as the relays and arrays, transferring and processing information. To create a True Brain to Computer Interface isn’t easy, contrary to popular belief you just don’t need a brain wave monitor. You need an interface that can dynamically adapt itself, physically reprogram its nodes and use that as a basis of its processing functions imitating the brain and forming the Brain to Computer Interface.

The Brain to Computer Interface has the highest chip density yet to be seen.

The Brain to Computer Interface chip is basically a CMOS chip with 11,011 electrodes in an area of 2x2mm. That’s a record breaking 3,150 electrodes per square mm. High density chips have been known to have as much as 65 000 simulation sites but they usually have non existent record ability.

One of the major breakthroughs of the Brain to Computer interface is that it houses 126 Signal conditioned and amplified channels which can be dynamically switched on and off to give multi spatial multiresolution access to neurons in its field. The chipset which makes this a possibility is an analogue switch matrix consisting of 13,00 set of RAM Static Cells which control routing.

How the Brain to Computer Interface Works

The Best analogy to this particular Brain to Computer Interface would be a voltage microscope capable of sensing something as tiny as neurons. Basically the chipset is able to literally ‘see’ the neurons fire (your neurons work by transferring electric charges) and with that you get the ability to basically program literally any kind of Brain to Computer Interface.  The researchers could in real time watch the electric spike travelling down an axon (neuron) through this remarkable Brain to Computer Interface.

What this means is that as soon as the chips are adapted to 3d Imaging protocols and someone does the grunt work of syncing basic algorithms we will have the first real platform to start developing the Brain to Computer Interface of the future. Not just a clumsy yes or no solution but a nimble and accurate Augmented Reality platform.

The Full Research Paper on the Brain to Computer Interface is given here.