Step into the Metaverse

Chapter 9The Future of the Metaverse

BCI: The Future of Immersive Experiences

The future of the metaverse might very well be one without computers and headsets. Ever since Elon Musk's Neuralink showcased the monkey Pager controlling a game with its mind, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) came into the spotlight. Using a BCI, people can make what they want to happen, happen without needing to move a muscle. Brain-computer interfaces hold tremendous promises for the metaverse.³⁰⁸

BCIs, also known as brain-machine interfaces, mind-machine interfaces, or neural-control interfaces, have been around for a while. The research on BCIs started already in the 1970s at the University of California, initially focused on restoring damaged sight, hearing, and movements. Thanks to AI and machine learning, researchers have become very good at this. BCIs can detect minuscule changes in the energy radiated by the brain when you think, recognizing patterns in the brain.³⁰⁹ Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) enables us to understand in extreme detail which parts of the brain light up when thinking about something. This has allowed scientists to read our dreams, read our thoughts, and know our feelings.³¹⁰ However, an MRI machine is not very portable, is very expensive—an entry-level machine starts at $250,000—and requires a team of researchers or doctors to operate. Therefore, the race is on to create brain-computer interfaces that are cheap, small, and can be operated by anyone. Within this category, ...