Europe 1 with AFP 09:31, September 17, 2024A man has managed to use Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, using only his thoughts thanks to a brain implant. The 64-year-old suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease. “Being able to control important aspects of my environment and access to entertainment gives me back the independence I lost”
A 64-year-old man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease, has been able to use his brain to control Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa using his thoughts alone, Synchron, which designed the device, said in a statement Monday. “Being able to control important aspects of my environment and access to entertainment gives me back the independence I’ve lost,” Mark, who did not give his last name, said in the statement.
Control Alexa through your Amazon tablet
He said he was “thrilled” by the “integration of smart technology with (his) BCI,” or brain-computer interface or brain-machine communication device. He was thus able to control Alexa’s smart home automation by thought via a feature on his Fire tablet (Amazon), Synchron explained, specifying that he was able to select pre-programmed options such as turning lights on or off, making video calls, playing music, reading books on Kindle (Amazon’s e-reader) and even making purchases on the retail giant’s website. “Without using his hands or his voice,” Synchron insisted.
Tom Oxley, Synchron’s founding CEO, said the BCI “is 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 via the jugular vein in a minimally invasive endovascular procedure, Synchron said. The field of brain implants is booming, with companies working on enabling paralysed patients to control computers with their thoughts, such as restoring their ability to write.
