Technology that lets computers read your mind may get a boost from new research.

Scientists have developed a system that uses silicon microchips to record brain activity and transmit it to a computer, according to a recent paper. Tiny chips are placed on the surface of the brain or in tissue to collect more neural signals than other brain implants. The invention is the latest step in the rapidly developing field of brain-machine interfaces.

“Fully functioning interfaces for deep brain stimulation and combined stimulation and recording are currently available and are being iteratively improved with ever-increasing sophistication, complexity, and capabilities,” Dr. James Giordano, a professor of neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center, told Lifewire in an email interview.

“However, each of the currently available systems requires some form of invasive neurosurgical implantation, and this is a limiting factor, at least to some extent.”