A novel brain-computer interface developed by a New York-based company called Synchron was just used to help a paralyzed patient send messages using their Apple device for the very first time.More or less the same neural signals that healthy people use to instruct their muscle fibers to twitch and enact a movement like walking or grasping an object can be used to command a robotic arm or move a cursor on a computer screen.Even Elon Musk has jumped on this bandwagon, founding a company called Neuralink with the ultimate goal of developing technology that allows people to transmit and receive information between their brain and a computer wirelessly — essentially connecting the human mind to devices.Scar tissue can build up around the site of surgery, thereby making the implant less effective or even useless, requiring new surgical interventions.Semafor’s tech editor Reed Albergotti recently chatted with Rodney Gorham, a retired software salesman from Australia, who is one of six people using the device, known as the Synchron Switch."