Mind Over Matter: How Brain Implants Are Making Telekinesis Real

Imagine a world where you can move objects and complete tasks simply by thinking about them. Sounds like a pretty relaxing and too-good-to-be-true idea, right? What if I told you that researchers are closer to this reality than you may think? In pop culture, characters like Raven from Teen Titans and Wanda from WandaVision may make telekinesis seem like an impossible out-of-this-world ability. Still, when translated into the real world and boiled down, telekinesis has nothing to do with supernatural powers and everything to do with our brain’s signals. 

How is this possible?

Researchers are using brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) to simulate what we know as telekinesis. As the name suggests, these machines create a connection between brains and machines, translating the brain’s electrical signals into commands the machine can follow. This connection allows thoughts to control tangible items (Brain–Machine Interface Projects, n.d.). In medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy, you might see a patient hooked up to a machine that has funny-looking lines. Well, that tool is an electroencephalography (EEG), and it is used to view brainwave activity using electrodes. In BMIs, this brainwave activity is translated into digital commands, which can be boiled down into 3 simple steps: signal detection, signal processing, and command execution.

Real-World Applications

There have already been some great advances in this technology and researchers are working to continue to push the bounds between ideas and reality. Miguel Nicolelis, a neuroscientist from Duke University, was one of the creators of a virtual arm used to further explore this mind-machine connection. As he explains it, “We trained these animals to use their own brain activity to control an avatar arm and hand that could explore objects, virtual objects that we created for them” (Npr, 2011). The connection between the monkey’s senses and this virtual arm was so strong that the monkeys assimilated the arm as their very own, and they could even feel the texture of objects solely using the virtual arm. 

Nicolelis is hoping that this advancement can lead to even bigger uses, such as exoskeletons that would allow paralyzed individuals to use a BMI to walk and move again (Npr, 2011). A step in the right direction was seen when researchers used brain implants on paralyzed individuals to allow them to control tech devices without the need to lift a finger. Using just their thoughts, these individuals were able to perform tasks commonly performed on devices such as browsing the internet, streaming music, and even sending emails/texts to their loved ones (Sanders, 2018). Although this was not a physical feat of walking and moving again, the ability to communicate with their loved ones and with society in this way is an amazing step in the right direction.

Challenges 

Although researchers have been able to accomplish many things using BMIs, brainwave activity, and brain implants, there are still many challenges that come with trying to make telekinesis happen outside of a controlled environment. The brain is deeply complex, our thoughts, ideas, and intentions are often too specific for a machine to translate into commands. Many times, machines struggle to translate these complex thoughts and turn them into tangible actions. There is also the issue of mobility with these BMIs as researchers are currently trying to create wireless and more efficient versions. Another big differentiation between BMI technology and pop culture’s versions of telekinesis is the matter of levitation. As of now, no technology allows us to lift objects using solely our brains without the help of things like magnets and robotics. 

Conclusion 

There is still a long way to go before we can say that telekinesis is real and fully possible, but these advancements give hope that maybe one day we will be able to accomplish great feats using solely our minds and our ideas. I think it can be used for many good things, such as giving paralyzed individuals the ability to move again, and although it isn’t like Eleven from Stranger Things lifting a car, I find it just as interesting.

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