For brain-computer interfaces, the commercial hurdles may be bigger than scientific ones

Rodney Gorham loves fast, flashy cars: His WhatsApp profile picture is a bright yellow Corvette Stingray. “I don’t get to drive it anymore,” Gorham told STAT in a text.

Gorham, a 63-year-old living in Australia, has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He can’t speak, and can move his hands and legs only a little. But he is able to control his computer with his thoughts, aided by a brain-computer interface developed by the startup Synchron. 

“It has been exciting to be involved,” Gorham wrote. 

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