Man implanted with Synchron BCI uses Apple Vision Pro with thought
ALS patient, 64, could control cursor just by thinking about moving his hand
A man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) implanted with Synchron‘s brain-computer interface was the first person in the world to use his thoughts to control an Apple Vision Pro.
Using the investigational brain-computer interface, or BCI, the 64-year-old man, who’d lost function in his upper limbs due to ALS, could control the cursor on the Apple Vision Pro just by thinking about moving his hand.
While hand gestures are typically needed to make selections with Apple Vision Pro, the man, whose name was Mark, used his own thoughts to play Solitaire, watch Apple TV, and send text messages.
“This is pretty cool,” Mark said in a press release. “Using this type of enhanced reality is so impactful and I can imagine it would be for others in my position or others who have lost the ability to engage in their day-to-day life. It can transport you to places you never thought you’d see or experience again.”
Vision Pro is a spatial computer developed by Apple that blends digital content with the physical world, letting users interact with apps while staying present and connected to others. It extends beyond a traditional touch-controlled display with a fully three-dimensional (3D) interface that can respond to natural, intuitive inputs from a user’s eyes, hands, and voice.
Thinking about using one’s hands
Here, Synchron showed that Vision Pro may be further expanded with its brain-computer interface and used by people with ALS or conditions that cause severe paralysis.
The BCI lets users who don’t have mobility in their hands engage with Vision Pro using a combination of eye tracking and thought-control selection. This means when a person thinks about moving his hands to select a given option on the screen, those thoughts alone are enough to make the selection.
“We are sending control signals directly from the brain to replace the need for hand gestures,” said Tom Oxley, CEO and founder of Synchron. “This is a critical unmet need for millions of people with paralysis.”
Synchron’s flagship technology is called Stentrode, a small tube-like device with a mesh material that contains multiple electrodes. This brain-computer interface is implanted on the surface of the brain’s motor cortex, which is responsible for voluntary movement, where it can record electrical signals and translate them into signals that can be understood by a computer.
Implantation is made through a minimally invasive procedure, wherein the BCI is inserted via a small neck incision and then moved through the jugular vein to a blood vessel close to the motor cortex. Unlike similar devices, Stentrode doesn’t require open brain surgery.
Once implanted, Stentrode expands and grows into the blood vessel walls without interfering with normal blood flow. It detects brain activity linked to intended movements and transmits related signals through a wire that’s connected to a small sensor implanted beneath the skin of the person’s chest. This sensor can then send data wirelessly to another device such as the Apple Vision Pro, a smartphone, or a computer.
Synchron has completed a clinical trial (NCT03834857) in Australia where it tested the safety and feasibility of implanting the Stentrode device in four men with ALS who’d lost motor function due to paralysis. Within a few months of Stentrode’s implantation, the patients could control a computer and complete tasks, such as texting, sending emails, shopping, and managing their personal finances.
“BCI is a platform to reconnect people with injury or disease back to the fast-moving consumer technology landscape,” said Oxley. “We are moving toward a new Bluetooth standard for human computer interactions that don’t require touch or speech.”
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