Millions of people around the world are unable to use digital technology due to physical disabilities. However, what if you could send a text or email using only your thoughts? It may sound like wishful thinking, but new technology currently in clinical trials could make this a reality, according to the researchers.
At his home in Melbourne, Australia, Philip O’Keefe, 62, struggles to do the simple things that many of us take for granted, like dressing, washing and feeding himself, after amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) took his life. ability to control your hands and body.
In April 2020, O’Keefe became one of the first patients to receive a Stentrode endovascular brain computer interface implant. Dr. Thomas Oxley, CEO of New York City-based Synchron, is leading development of the device.
“The clinical study we’re doing is purely for digital device control for people whose hands no longer control digital devices,” Oxley said.
Inserted through the jugular vein, the device is implanted near the area of the brain that controls movement. The signals captured by a receiver on the chest are sent wirelessly to a device that decodes the thoughts into commands for a digital device.
“I thought, ‘This is science fiction,'” O’Keefe said.
Oxley told CBS News, “We figured out how to put the sensors in the brain without open brain surgery. That’s the big breakthrough here.”
O’Keefe demonstrated his computer skills to CBS News by writing a note, his thoughts focused on clicking the mouse letter by letter.
“I can sort my emails. I can surf the web,” O’Keefe said.
Clinical trials are ongoing, and so far five people have received the implant, including one in New York City.
“This gave me a reason to keep living,” O’Keefe said. “And it’s been the most exciting two years of my life.”
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