The human cerebral cortex is made up of six cellular layers, but at Precision Neuroscience, a team of scientists and engineers is working to build a device that’s reminiscent of a seventh.
The device is called the Layer 7 Cortical Interface, and it’s a brain implant that aims to help patients with paralysis operate digital devices using only neural signals. This means patients with severe degenerative diseases like ALS will regain their ability to communicate with loved ones by moving cursors, typing and even accessing social media with their minds.
The Layer 7 is an electrode array that resembles a piece of scotch tape and is thinner than a human hair, which helps it conform to the brain’s surface without damaging any tissue.
Precision, founded in 2021, is one of many companies in the emerging brain-computer interface, or BCI, industry. A BCI is a system that deciphers brain signals and translates them into commands for external technologies, and several companies have successfully created devices with this capability.