As Kommersant found out, the government is developing a new federal program “Brain, Health, Intelligence, Innovation”, which will require 54 billion rubles by 2029. Among other things, it is focused on the development of “brain-computer” technologies that allow microcomputers to be implanted into the human brain for direct transmission of information from external devices. The program also involves the creation of avatars of people for remote control of vehicles and computers that help make decisions. Experts note that the Russian Federation has certain scientific advantages in this direction, but it is seriously underfunded.
A Kommersant source close to the Ministry of Education and Science said that a working group had been created under him to work out a new federal program “Brain, Health, Intelligence, Innovation for 2021–2029”. Kommersant got acquainted with its content. The document was developed by the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) together with Moscow State University and approved by Vladimir Putin in March, follows from a copy of the letter from the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexander Sergeev, to the president with a working version of the program. Vladimir Putin entrusted the study to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and the head of the presidential administration Anton Vaino, follows from the letter. In the department of science, the government redirected the question to the Ministry of Education and Science. They clarified that the project is “in the initial stage of development.”
The cost of the program is estimated at 54 billion rubles, funds for it are planned to be allocated from the national projects “Science”, “Demography”, “Healthcare”, “Labor productivity and employment support” and “Digital economy”. The project involves, among other things, the development of brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies – a set of hardware and software systems that allow you to control external devices (a computer or exoskeleton) directly using electrical brain signals, which are transformed into control commands using artificial intelligence technologies …
The authors of the document write about the need to build up the scientific base for these technologies and the mass production of advanced prototypes. For example, it is planned to create “human-technology interfaces” to control complex systems (airplanes, nuclear power plants, cars) both directly and remotely, according to the principle of remote presence, avatar “, follows from the project. This will allow people to work in inaccessible places with high radiation, space, etc. Interfaces will also be created that will provide “independent formation of goals, assessment of situations, forecasting their development and decision-making.”
The global market for neurointerfaces in 2019 amounted to $ 1.2-1.3 billion, says Ani Aslanyan, founder of the All About the Brain, Blockchain and Digital Economy Telegram channel. Until 2027, according to her estimates, the segment will grow by an average of 15%. “The United States has already invested more than $ 1.2 billion in brain-computer technology for seven years, the planned volume of investments is $ 6 billion. China has adopted the China Brain Project with funding of at least $ 3 billion,” said Ms. Aslanyan.
Brain-computer technologies have long been developed in Russia for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, says Denis Kuleshov, director of the Sensor-Tech Laboratory. “For example, people after a stroke are put on a special cap with electrodes, from which the signal is transmitted to the exoskeleton: the person sends the thought to the device that he wants to squeeze the ball, and the device squeezes it. This helps to pass rehabilitation faster, ”said the expert. Also, according to him, a smart home can be controlled through brain-computer interfaces.
But the most advanced, according to Denis Kuleshov, are interfaces built directly into the human brain. “Such technologies allow not only transmitting a signal from a carrier, but also sending data directly to it in the brain. For example, we are developing a solution that will be implanted into the brain of blind patients and broadcast a video signal to the visual cortex. Now we are testing the components of the system on animals. In the future, such a neuroimplant will help blind people see the contours and silhouettes of objects, ”he said.
In terms of the development of neurointerfaces, Russia has a number of advantages, experts say. “We have some of the most highly qualified scientists in neurobiology, neurophysiology, philosophy, cognitive sciences, as well as the world’s leading physics and mathematics school,” explains Ani Aslanyan. But there are also weak points, she said, such as the low level of research funding, which leads to a lack of technology transfer.
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