Cyberware

Once largely a concept within science fiction, cyberware is now an emerging field of biomedical research and neurotechnology, with applications ranging from brain–computer interfaces to advanced prosthetics. The term encompasses both sensory-enhancing implants and control systems that translate neural signals into digital outputs.

While still in its early stages, cyberware has gained renewed interest in the 21st century through companies like Neuralink and BrainGate, as well as ongoing research into human–machine symbiosis.

Interfaces ("headware")

It is the most difficult object to implement, but it is also the most important in terms of interfacing directly with the mind. In science fiction the data-jack is the envisioned I/O port for the brain. Its job is to translate thoughts into something meaningful to a computer, and to translate something from a computer into meaningful thoughts for humans. Once perfected, it would allow direct communication between computers and the human mind.

Large university laboratories conduct most of the experiments done in the area of direct neural interfaces. For ethical reasons, the tests are usually performed on animals or slices of brain tissue from donor brains. The mainstream research focuses on electrical impulse monitoring, recording and translating the many different electrical signals that the brain transmits.

A number of companies are working on what is essentially a "hands-free" mouse or keyboard. This technology uses these brain signals to control computer functions. These interfaces are sometimes called brain-machine interfaces (BMI).

The more intense research, concerning full in-brain interfaces, is being studied, but is in its infancy. Few can afford the huge cost of such enterprises, and those who can find the work slow-going and very far from the ultimate goals. Research has reached the level where limited control over a computer is possible using thought commands alone. After being implanted with a Massachusetts-based firm Cyberkinetics chip called BrainGate, a quadriplegic man was able to compose and check email.

In April 2021, BrainGate became the first technology to transmit wireless commands from a human brain to a computer. The clinical trial involved two participants with spinal cord injuries, using a transmitter connected to the brain’s motor cortex to send neural signals wirelessly. Researchers reported that the speed and accuracy of cursor control and typing matched that of previous wired systems.

In 2016, entrepreneur Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company focused on developing implantable brain–computer interfaces. The company initially aimed to address neurological disorders, with a long-term vision of human cognitive enhancement. As of its early funding rounds, Neuralink had raised $158 million, including $100 million from Musk personally.