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ALS Patients Use a Brain Implant To Type 6 Words Per Minute

Posted by timothy on from the just-don't-think-control-w-too-much dept.

the_newsbeagle writes: With electrodes implanted in their neural tissue and a new brain-computer interface, two paralyzed people with ALS used their thoughts to control a computer cursor with unprecedented accuracy and speed. They showed off their skills by using a predictive text-entering program to type sentences, achieving a rate of 6 words per minute. While paralyzed people can type faster using other assistive technologies that are already on the market, like eye-gaze trackers and air-puff controllers, a brain implant could be the only option for paralyzed people who can't reliably control their eyes or mouth muscles.

3 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Soon! by KGIII · · Score: 3

    Soon I will be able to jack into the system with a nice planted wireless nub on the top of my head and an ethernet jack in my neck. I actually eagerly await this day and will subject myself to anyone qualified to test it out on me. I'd love to be jacked right into the internet. It would be awesome.

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    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    1. Re:Soon! by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Upgrades are a real pain.
      It is one thing to get these technology to help replace natural skills that you have loss or normally need, to function in society. However volunteer cybernetics to super enhance your ability for vanity reasons, really shouldn't be allowed, because say that wireless implant has a security glitch, or becomes outdated in 5 years, then you will need to have it surgically removed and a new one added. That is a lot of Trama for vanity technology.

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      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. My dad had ALS by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    This was 20+ years ago... he communicated using a chin-driven switch hooked up to a computer. I'm guessing he could do maybe 12-15 words per minute with the predictive software available at the time. HOWEVER getting the mechanical switch set up just right so he could use it was often a time-consuming chore, since he didn't have very much range of motion (or strength, for that matter) in his jaw.

    This sort of thing would be a Godsend to people like him, where their minds continue to work but their bodies don't.

    Of course, the elephant in the room is whether it makes sense to spend so many healthcare dollars on someone with an incurable, fatal disease. People with ALS get to the point where they need round-the-clock nursing care, a ventilator to help them breathe and an NG tube to feed them. on the other hand, no one blinks an eye at the annual drug costs for, say, AIDS patients; while the costs for ALS care are largely related to salaries of their caregivers.

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    #DeleteChrome