“Mark, a 64-year-old with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, uses Amazon Alexa all the time using his voice. But now, thanks to a brain implant, he can also control the virtual assistant with his mind,” reports Wired:
ALS affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control over time. Mark…has limited mobility as a result of his condition. He can walk and talk but has no use of his arms and hands. As part of a clinical trial, he received a brain-computer interface, or BCI, made by startup Synchron in August 2023.
Synchron is developing a BCI that decodes brain signals to allow people with paralysis the ability to control digital devices with their thoughts alone. On Thursday, the company announced that its BCI can now be used with Alexa without the need for voice or physical interaction with a touchscreen. Synchron says Mark is the first person to use Alexa with a BCI…
With the BCI, Mark could already operate an iPhone, iPad, and computer with his thoughts to surf the internet or compose emails. With the Amazon integration, he can control Alexa with a Fire tablet to turn the lights on and off in his house, watch TV, make video calls, play music, control his Ring security camera, read books on Kindle, and shop on Amazon.
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