A 64-year-old man suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease, was able to use Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa with his thoughts alone thanks to a brain implant. He was able to make online purchases.
“Being able to control important aspects of my environment and access to entertainment gives me back the independence I’ve lost,” Mark said in a statement from Synchron, the company that designed the device.
He said he was “delighted” with “the integration of intelligent technology with [son] BCI“, for brain-computer interface or brain-machine communication device.
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He was able to control Alexa’s smart home automation system with his mind through a feature on his Amazon Fire tablet, Synchron explained, adding that he was able to select pre-programmed options such as turning lights on or off, making video calls, playing music, reading books on his Kindle e-reader and even shopping on the retail giant’s website. “Without using his hands or his voice,” Synchron insisted. He can also use an augmented reality mask thanks to his BCI (see video).
In a blood vessel
Tom Oxley, Synchron’s founding CEO, said the BCI formed “a bridge between neurotechnology and consumer technology, giving paralysed people the ability to regain control of their environment”.
The device is implanted into a blood vessel on the surface of the motor cortex through the jugular vein in a minimally invasive endovascular procedure, Synchron explained.
The field of brain implants is booming. Companies in the sector are working to enable paralyzed patients to control computers with their thoughts, for example, giving them back the ability to write.
>> Read also: Elon Musk announces Neuralink has placed its first brain implant
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