A patient with a degenerative disease was able to control Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant with his thoughts using a brain implant. The company behind the tech innovation announced the news Monday, letting him stream shows and control devices using only his thoughts.
According to Synchron, a company that develops brain-computer interfaces, a 64-year-old man with an implant in a blood vessel on the surface of his brain was able to mentally “tap” icons on an Amazon Fire tablet.
According to the New York-based company, the patient suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a degenerative nerve disease that leads to muscle weakness and paralysis.
However, with the implant, he could make video calls, play music, stream programs, control smart home devices like lights, shop online and read books by controlling Alexa with his thoughts, the company said.
“Being able to control key aspects of my environment and access to entertainment gives me back the independence I was losing,” the patient, identified only by name as Mark, said in a press release.
The demonstration was intended to show how customers can use their minds to control smart homes equipped with Alexa-compatible devices, such as door cameras, plugs and thermostats, the company said.
In the press release, Synchron founder and CEO Tom Oxley said, “While many smart home systems rely on voice or touch, we send control signals directly from the brain.”
“Patients can communicate with devices in their hands and without voice, using only their thoughts,” he added.
Elon Musk's Neuralink
Several companies, including Elon Musk's Neuralink, are working on connecting brains to computers.
Neuralink implanted a brain in January in a man who was paralyzed after a diving accident. Musk, who also owns Tesla and X, hailed the implant as a success.
In July, he said his startup was “moving forward” to a second test patient as the technology improves.
