Brain-computer interfaces are seeing massive AI breakthroughs including neural bridges being built for learning, treatment of specific diseases and overcoming the electrical-to-biochemical language barrier. These trends are what will optimise the information bandwidth that comes with neuroscience technology. "A monkey has been able to control a computer with its brain." That almost unimaginable yet remarkably accurate observation was made by Elon Musk, author and CEO of Tesla. In his presentation, Musk switched between varying forms of "what is" to "what could be", before announcing the details surrounding Tesla Energy.

CES may be full of robot's but not many have the same grip on humanity as those made by BrainCo. Among the towering TVs, smart appliances, and myriad other consumer-facing gadgets, BrainCo's line of fine-tuned prosthetic hands seem to reach out through the crowd - not just for their surprising capabilities, but for their ability to change people's lives. The hand is designed for amputees who have lost their forearm and is controlled by assessing the motion of the wearer's own muscles. While other prosthetics have achieved similar feats, BrainCo is granular enough that a wearer can move each and every individual finger, restoring not just grip but many fine-motor tasks. BrainCo's robotic hand (pictured above) could help amputees regain abilities to move fingers and grip items by reading electrical signals sent from the brain In a demonstration, the hand was able to pick up a cup and place it back down on the table.

Scalextric-style slot cars that can be controlled with your brain -- going faster the harder you concentrate -- were demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show. Attendees at the technology event -- held in Las Vegas in the US -- wore headbands based on medical brain-scanning tech to race model cars about a track. The company behind the mind-reading technology is Massachussets-based firm BrainCo, which grew out of Harvard University's Innovation Lab. The slot car setup worked by using the Focus1 headbands to non-invasively measure participant's brain activity and transfer this to a paired model car on the racetrack. The technology is based on conventional electroencephalograms.

Facebooks' announcement last month that it's building a brain-computer interface (BMI) that will let users type with just their minds without invasive implants is exciting as it is concerning. The prospect of being able to type with just your mind at a speed of 100 words per minute – 5 times faster than the typing speed on a phone – which is Facebook's goal, is fascinating. You can get more done with lesser effort and in shorter time, right? But how effectively will users' privacy be protected when this happens and how transparent will Facebook be about it? Like in George Orwell's 1984, is this about governments or corporations wanting to read people's mind to detect thought crime?