2025 CR Forum Top Ten| Empowering a Man with ALS to Speak

Описание: Losing the ability to speak is devastating. Imagine not being able to tell your spouse or your child that you love them or that you’re in pain. There are thousands of people in the United States who live just like this: they know exactly what they want to say but can’t because of paralysis. One way to restore communication is by using a brain computer interface: a device that records brain signals, and then translates those signals to allow the user to control a computer with their thoughts. As part of an ongoing clinical trial called BrainGate2, I recently performed surgery on a 46-year-old man who is paralyzed from Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), implanting four tiny devices designed to record from the speech area of the brain. Using this device, we can record his brain signals as he tries to speak and translate his brain activity into words on a screen. The system is remarkably effective: despite being paralyzed, we can decode what he’s saying with 98% accuracy. He uses the system to speak with his wife and daughter, and to maintain his livelihood. Since surgery, he has used the system for over 1,000 hours, for up to 12 hours per day. By applying artificial intelligence to audio recordings collected prior to being diagnosed with ALS, we have emulated the sound of his voice, so that when he tries to speak, it sounds like him. This research is important because it demonstrates that brain computer interface technology has moved beyond a proof-of-principle demonstration to a device that is useful for people. It also provides hope for the thousands of people living with paralysis today.