Event details

Controlling a computer, robotic arm or other device through the power of thought alone is an alluring prospect. The pursuit of this brain-computer interface technology is currently experiencing a surge of interest, in no small part due to the activities of high-profile startup Neuralink, which has entered the early stages of human testing. But look beyond this single source of hope, expectation and skepticism, and you will find a vibrant group of academics and companies working to push the technology forward.

In this live one-hour event, our experienced panel will break down the state of brain-computer interface development today, answer your questions about this emerging technology, and discuss what the next five years might bring.

Sponsored by:

Presenters

Mariska Vansteensel

Mariska Vansteensel

Assistant professor at University Medical Center Utrecht

President of the BCI Society

Mariska Vansteensel is an Assistant Professor at the UMC Utrecht Brain Center in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and is also the current President of the International BCI Society. She focuses on the development and validation of implantable electrocorticography (ECoG)-based BCIs for communication in individuals with severe motor and speech impairment.
Peter Yoo

Peter Yoo

Senior director of Neuroscience and Algorithms

Synchron

Peter Yoo is a neuroscientist with expertise in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), functional MRI and human motor systems. He serves as the Senior Director of R&D, Neuroscience & Algorithms, at Synchron NY. He is also an active member in the Vascular Bionics Laboratory at the University of Melbourne. Over the decade of developing endovascular BCIs, he characterized how the human dorsomedial cortical network coordinates motor function utilizing ultra-high-field fMRI, created unique method of targeting endovascular BCIs to specific cortical targets, and pioneered ways to decode neural information from signals recorded from within a blood vessel in real-time. Leveraging his experience and skills, he was an integral member of the team who executed the world’s only first-in-human clinical trial and FDA early-feasibility-study of endovascular BCIs. He continues to make progress in commercializing minimally invasive endovascular neurotechnology by heading the neuroscientific, machine learning and data science capability of Synchron, directly managing a team of world-class PhD scientists and engineers from top ranking universities. He also supervises the next generation of bright scientists and engineers at the University of Melbourne.
Liam Drew

Liam Drew

Science Journalist

Contributor to Nature

Liam Drew, PhD, is a freelance science journalist.  A regular contributor to Nature, Liam writes mainly about neuroscience and biomedical research. His first feature story on brain computer interfaces appeared in 2019 and won the Association of British Science Writers’ Engineering/Technology Story of the Year.  He has been reporting on BCIs ever since, often with a keen eye on the novel ethical challenges posed by the technology and the rights of users.  He has been a journalist for eight years, prior to that he worked as a neuroscientist at University College London and Columbia University, New York.
Moderator: Richard Hodson

Moderator: Richard Hodson

Senior Editor, Supplements

Nature Outlook

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