From translating thoughts into words to allowing paralysed people to walk, the field of neurotechnology has been quietly surging ahead, raising hopes of medical breakthroughs -- and profound ethical concerns.

Some observers even think that neurotech could end up being as revolutionary as the far more hyped rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

"People do not realise how much we're already living in science fiction," King's College London researcher Anne Vanhoestenberghe told AFP.

The scientist leads a laboratory developing electronic devices which are implanted into a person's nervous system -- not just the brain, but also the spinal cord that transmits signals to the rest of the body.

It has been a big couple of years for neurotech research. In June, Californian scientists revealed th

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