A man is severely affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Thanks to a tiny chip, he can now do many things on the computer without having to use his hands. In the future, many people could benefit from this, but there is still a long way to go.
What kind of disease is this? The Australian Philip O’Keefe is suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. This disease involves a progressive muscle paralysis. As the disease progresses, the person can use their arms and legs less and less and eventually can hardly move. However, consciousness and cognitive abilities remain fully functional.
If you have health issues, please consult your trusted doctor. You can find extensive health advice from the Federal Ministry of Health or in a conversation with your personal family doctor.
Experimental chip is still far from being market-ready
What exactly has been implanted in him? In 2020, doctors implanted a tiny chip in him. These chips are also referred to as Brain-Computer Interfaces, or BCI for short. At that time, it was an experiment, as health regulations in Australia were not as strict as in the USA. In addition to the Australian, around 40 other people worldwide received such a module (via gao.gov).
How exactly does it work? To use his device, the chip’s owner simply thinks about performing a certain movement with his body. While his brain lights up with electrical signals, the module reads his thoughts.
The signals are transmitted to his chest, where a Bluetooth transmitter the size of a pacemaker wirelessly forwards the signals from the brain to a computer. The PC can then convert the signal into an action. This way, he can do many things independently again:
- Writing emails.
- Playing simple games like Solitaire or Mahjong.
- Or having a Zoom call with friends and relatives.
Can you buy such a device? No, and the device is also still far from being market-ready. Both the computer and the user need to be trained to understand what the person wants from the computer. Every individual and every brain works a bit differently, which makes development very difficult. It is also not known what such a chip and the subsequent training would cost.
Moreover, it requires a lot of practice to control such a PC. You have to think about each action on the computer: clicking, zooming, moving the mouse to the right, moving it to the left.
You can see how such an interface works in an English-speaking video on YouTube. Here, neuroengineer Dr. Rajesh Rao from the University of Washington explains how such a system functions:
More exciting gadgets: A manufacturer introduced a new device in early 2022 that is supposed to take care of hands. MeinMMO presents the gadget from the Japanese company Bauhütte:
New gadget should take care of your most important gaming tool: your hands
