Apple is creating a neural implant to control the iPhone with the power of thought.

Apple is developing a technology that allows users to control their iPhones using a neural implant. The company is collaborating with the startup Synchron, whose Stentrode device enables people with severe motor impairments to interact with gadgets without using their hands or voice.

The implant is equipped with 16 electrodes and is inserted through the jugular vein, where it is secured in a blood vessel near the surface of the brain. It is expected that before launching, Apple will add support for third-party neural implants.

Since 2019, Synchron has implanted the Stentrode in ten patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as part of studies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. One participant has already learned to control the Apple Vision Pro headset.

Synchron's technology is simpler to install compared to Neuralink's solution, whose implant contains more than a thousand electrodes. In April, Neuralink implanted a chip in a patient with ALS for the first time, enabling them to type text and convert it into speech. Apple plans to complete the development of the interface by the end of 2025.

Source: The Wall Street Journal