Increasingly, scientists publish the results of their research and experiments related to sensors and devices implanted inside the human body. But never in modern history have brain implants been chosen outside research laboratories, since such patients constantly need the supervision of qualified specialists. The first woman who dared to let a brain implant into her daily life was a 58-year-old woman from the Netherlands.
“It's a very unusual feeling to be some kind of a pioneer,” the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, shared with New Scientist. She truly became the first owner of a brain implant that helps her in her daily life, without requiring regular calibration and professional supervision. The woman lost the ability to move as a result of her 2008 diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), an infamous degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Patients experience progressive damage to motor neurons, accompanied by paralysis of the limbs and muscle atrophy.
At the moment, the woman retained the ability to move only with her eyes, but doctors say that their patient will soon lose this ability too. That is why the woman has already decided on a risky operation to implant electrodes into her brain to read its activity. After the activity has been read by the electrodes, the signals are sent to the tablet computer, which interprets them and turns them into commands such as "click" or "launch the application." A set of specially written software allows the owner of the implant to play games, search for information on the Web and even communicate with other people.
The device required careful calibration over six months. The woman mentally imagined how she was “tapping” on the tablet screen with her finger, and the computer was learning to correctly recognize her thoughts. Over time, she learned to play simple games like Pong. Today, an external device reads her brain commands with 95% accuracy. It can be said that scientists have achieved successful results, considering that this is the first such experiment in the world, the result of which was a patient using a brain implant in his daily life without the supervision of technical specialists. At the moment, a woman most of all dreams of being able to control the movements of her wheelchair with the help of an implant.
The speed of typing, however, leaves much to be desired. At the very beginning of the training, the woman chose each letter for a full 50 seconds. But six months later, her results have improved: now each letter takes no more than 20 seconds. This implant has both pros and cons. It is invisible to others, as it transmits signals over a wireless protocol. It can be used outside the home, and traditional systems for reading pupil movements in bright light may behave inadequately. But the implant still requires surgical intervention. In the future, scientists plan to associate their device with a kind of manipulator-arm, so that a paralyzed person can not only type texts, but also interact with the outside world at the physical level.
SERGEY GRAY