The initial interface will use external computing hardware to interpret spine signals. In the long term, the collaborators would like a wholly implanted system to make the connection.

This is something of a moonshot, and there’s no guarantee the project will end with a surefire solution for paralysis. It should still be useful even then, though. Assistant engineering professor David Borton stressed that the research should still “uncover new knowledge” about spinal cords and “accelerate innovation” toward treatment. If it’s not the remedy Intel and Brown seek, it should represent a big step in the right direction.