Amazon, the tech giant behind the innovation, announced Monday that a patient with a degenerative disease was able to control the digital assistant Alexa with his mind, allowing him to stream shows and control devices using only his thoughts.
Synchron, a company that develops brain-computer interfaces, said a blood vessel implant on the surface of the 64-year-old man’s brain allowed him to mentally “tap” icons on an Amazon Fire tablet.
The patient, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was able to make video calls, play music, stream shows, control smart home devices like lights, shop online and read books using his mind to direct Alexa, according to the New York-based company.
ALS is a degenerative neurological disease that leads to muscle weakness and paralysis.
“Being able to manage important aspects of my environment and control access to entertainment gives me the independence I have been losing,” the patient, who has been named only as Mark, said in a statement.
The test was intended to show how customers could use just their minds to control smart homes using Alexa-compatible devices like doorbells, plugs and thermostats, according to the company.
“While many smart home systems rely on voice or touch, we send control signals directly from the brain,” Synchron founder and CEO Tom Oxley said in the statement.
“Patients can interact with devices in their homes with their hands and without having to make any sound, using only their thoughts.”
Several companies, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink, are working on connecting brains to computers.
In January, Neuralink installed a brain implant in a man who was paralyzed after a diving accident. Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, called the implant a success.
In July, he said his startup was “moving on” to a second test patient as its technology improved.
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