WATCH: Viral Video Depicting A Simulation Of A Head Transplant Could Become A Reality In the Future

The world has seen great advances in organ transplants, and today, transplants of kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, and bone marrow are possible with a high rate of survivability.

However, there have not been successful episodes of brain or head transplants due to the immense complexity involved.

Nevertheless, attempts have been made in the past to achieve this impossible task in animals.

An attempt was made in 1970 by well-known neurosurgeon Dr. Robert White and his team at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital to transplant the head of an ape into the body of a headless monkey.

However, the ape could only survive for a week but had regained its sensory functions.

A neuroscience and biomedical engineering startup, BrainBridge, in the US, is actually working on this technique.

The startup has dared to go where no one has treaded before and has announced its ambitious goal to develop the world’s first head transplant system.

Groundbreaking Video Shows Potential Future of Head Transplants

A video by the startup has gone viral on social media, showing robots performing the head transplant procedure on two robotic bodies.

The company has been working on the project in a hush-hush manner but now wants the world to know more about the work it is doing.

The startup aims to offer new hope for patients suffering from terminal diseases like stage-4 cancer, paralysis, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The main aim of the process is to transplant a patient’s head into a brain-dead donor body, to preserve consciousness, memories, and cognitive abilities. However, the video has also shocked many people who find the efforts similar to playing God.

A user named @azgh54kk9 in the comment section of the video asked: “The bodies come from consenting donors, right?”

This is a very valid ethical question whenever this procedure becomes a reality.

Another user, @Baybbie, said that urgent regulations are needed for this type of research: “Young people are about to start going missing to keep some old money and their family forever young.”

A third user, @Irokutara, said: “Lucky us, this technology is impossible. We are closer to displaced consciousness devices than we are to head transplants.”

There has not been much response from the scientific community.

Also, BrainBridge is not the first company to work in this field. Several companies like Neurable, Emotiv, Kernel, and NextMind are working to develop brain-computer interface technology. The most recent has been Elon Musk’s company Neuralink, which recently implanted a computer chip in the brain of a quadriplegic man.

BrainBridge is the brainchild of Hashem Al-Ghaili, and he plans to use high-speed robotic systems to prevent brain cell degradation and ensure seamless compatibility between the transplanted head and donor body. According to Al-Ghaili, cutting-edge AI algorithms will direct the surgical robots to precisely reconnect the spinal cord, along with the nerves and blood vessels.

In the words of Al-Ghaili, “Every step of the BrainBridge concept has been carefully thought out based on extensive scientific research. Our goal is to push the boundaries of medical science and provide innovative solutions for those battling life-threatening conditions.”

Hashem Al-Ghaili is a Yemeni science communicator and film director who gained fame in 2022 when he made a viral video called “EcoLife” about artificial wombs.

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