Brain-computer interfaces

Brain-computer interfaces from Apple and beyond

HOW IT WORKS

Want to control an iPhone? Apple is hoping to tap into your mind

here are countless ways of interacting with a smartphone, T tablet or computer. You can touch a screen, type on a keyboard, move a mouse, swipe on a touchpad, use a game controller or even issue commands using your voice.

But imagine a future where such input devices aren’t necessary – a future that allows your brain to directly control a device. It’s a future being worked on by scores of people, including a good number at Apple, and it’s set to be transformative in so many ways.

The latest development came in May this year when Apple unveiled a brain-computer interface (BCI) protocol which supports Switch Control accessibility. Long available on the iPhone, iPad and Mac (via Settings > Accessibility > Switch Control), and more recently available on the Apple Vision Pro, the feature enables people with physical impairments to interact with their devices using a joystick or external switches.

Apple’s BCI protocol allows Switch Control to use brain signals as another method of input, enabling you to control your device without any physical movement. This is especially useful for anyone living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND) – as well as anyone who has had a stroke or a spinal cord injury. But it’s not as simple as flicking a switch on your Apple device, merely thinking of something and expecting the magic to happen. For a brain-computer interface to work, there needs to be a way of collecting a user’s thoughts.