The world of the brain–computer interface (BCI) has been perceived until today as a field requiring complex surgical intervention, opening the skull, and implanting chips directly into the gray matter. However, the company Sabi seeks to change this paradigm and declares that it has succeeded in developing peaked caps and socks equipped with tens of thousands of sensors, capable of decoding our thoughts and turning them into computer commands from the outside. According to the company's CEO, Rahul Chhabra, the technology currently focuses on translating the user's motor intent into text, so that entire sentences can be typed using thought alone, without moving a finger. If the product indeed stands by its promises and reaches the market by the end of the year, it may constitute a significantly safer and more accessible alternative to existing methods, which require dangerous surgeries.
The news from Sabi comes against the backdrop of significant progress in the field of implants, which are already changing the lives of ALS patients and people suffering from paralysis today. Companies like Elon Musk's Neuralink and "Blackrock Neurotech" have already proven that patients can control a mouse cursor, play chess, and even communicate with their family members with a high level of accuracy thanks to chips implanted in the speech areas of the brain.
However, the risks involved in inserting a foreign object into the brain are immense, and the ability to perform similar actions through an external hat is considered the "holy grail" of the industry. Experts note that Sabi's key lies in the quantity of sensors – between 70 and 100 thousand – while standard external EEG devices usually use only a few hundred.
Despite the optimism, the scientific community remains cautious. Unlike Neuralink or Apple, which rely on strong signals from within the skull, the signals reaching the exterior part of the head are weaker and blurrier. The CEO of the company Synchron, which develops implants injected through the vein, explains that achieving accuracy in real time from a wearable device is an almost impossible technological challenge because of the physical barrier of the skull and the hair.
Meanwhile, Sabi has yet to present independent tests of the product, aside from a demo showing an ALS patient using the device. While China has already approved invasive brain implants for commercial use, the West is still searching for the balance between innovation and safety, and is waiting to see if the new hat is indeed the next revolution or just a pretentious promise.