Researchers successfully demonstrated the first brain-silicon neural implant in a paralyzed patient

**The patient is able to control a keyboard with their mind using the implant.**<br><br>The researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) created a new type of implant that combines living brain cells with silicon electronics to allow people to control digital devices with their thoughts.<br><br>The study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, marks a major advancement in the field of neural engineering and has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of paralysis, as well as other neurological disorders.<br><br>This breakthrough is a result of years of work by a team of scientists who are exploring new ways of integrating the human brain with machines.<br><br>"This is a truly remarkable achievement," said Itzhak Aharonovitch, one of the scientists involved in the project. "We're not just talking about a device that can read signals from the brain. We're talking about a device that can use living cells to control digital devices. It's almost like a symbiosis between man and machine."<br><br>The implant itself is very thin (about 1/8th the diameter of a human hair) and very flexible, which makes it very easy to integrate with the cells in the human brain. It is implanted in the brain and records the activity of tens of thousands of individual neurons.<br><br>"You can imagine it as sort of an "eavesdropping device" for the brain," said Michel Maharbiz, another scientist involved in the project. "It's able to read the brain signals and translate them into digital commands."<br><br>"It's a very exciting time for us," said Parag Pathak, lead author of the study. "We're seeing a lot of advancements in the medical field. With the rise of brain-machine interfaces, we are on the cusp of a revolution. These advancements will help millions of people around the world."<br><br>The patient, a 45-year-old man who suffered a spinal cord injury, was able to control a digital keyboard with his thoughts using the implant. During the routine keyboard-typing test, the patient was able to type around 90 characters per minute with 95% accuracy.