The V-55 interface, often referred to as the V-55 chip, is a type of brain-computer interface (BCI) developed by Mantah Corporation in 2016. It is technically more than just a chip, so “interface” is the correct term; it acts as a direct communication pathway between the nervous system of a biological subject and the included computer microchip, which sends and receives information from an external device. Uniquely, it does not interface directly with the brain, instead interfacing using adjacent nerves in the head as a living conduit. Because of this, implantation does not require brain surgery. The V-55 was developed as a method for controlling animal behavior through nerve stimulation; when active, the implant essentially overrides the brain’s signals to the rest of the nervous system in order to control the body.
Shortly after its invention in 2016, the technology was sold to Biosyn Genetics, and has since been refined. The process is now far more streamlined, with direct communication to the subject brain (it is unknown if the interface is now implanted surgically into the brain, or if it can still manage these more complex tasks from subsurface nerves). Rather than overriding the brain’s signals, the interface communicates to the brain what signals to send the body, allowing the subject to act more naturally when it is being influenced by the interface. Although the result is still not natural behavior, it is far less stressful to the subject.
