A 64-year-old man suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease, managed to use the Alexa system, the virtual assistant created by Amazon, only through thoughts, thanks to a brain implant.
Mark managed to control the virtual assistant Alexa with his thoughts PHOTO: Video capture
Mark, a 64-year-old man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis successfully used his thoughts to control his smart home via the “Alexa” feature on his tablet.
This capability allows Mark to use the virtual assistant to select functions such as turning lights on and off, making video calls, playing music and shows, controlling smart home devices, reading books on Kindle or purchasing items on Amazon .
“Being able to control important aspects of my environment and control access to entertainment are actions that give me back the independence I lost”said Mark, who does not reveal his last name, according to Agerpres.
The patient declared himself delighted with “integrating smart technology with its BCI“, which represents a brain-computer interface, a device that ensures communication between the human brain and various devices.
“Without using either hands or voice”insisted the representatives of the Synchron company.
Tom Oxley, owner and founder of Synchron, believes that the BCI system forms “a bridge between neurotechnology and technology for the general public, giving paralyzed people the opportunity to regain control of their environment”.
Neural implants, a hope for those who can no longer move
The device is implanted in a blood vessel located on the surface of the motor cortex, being introduced into the human body through the jugular vein as part of a minimally invasive endovascular operation, Synchron company representatives explained.
The field of brain implants is booming. Companies in this sector are currently working in particular to enable paralyzed patients to control computers through their thoughts, thus giving them back, for example, the ability to write.
