Synchron-Made Brain Computer Interface Can Operate an iPad Via Thoughts

What Happened?

Medical technology company Synchron has developed a brain computer implant (BCI) that allows a human to control an iPad with their thoughts. The device makes Synchron the first company to connect its BCI to an Apple product. Synchron’s new BCI is compatible with iOS, iPadOS, and VisionsOS, which means iPads, iPhones, and the Vision Pro can recognize a BCI the same way a keyboard or mouse does.

Synchron posted a video to its YouTube channel showing a patient named Mark Jackson using his Stentrode BCI to control his iPad by thoughts only. According to Synchron Mark can now ‘navigate the iPad home screen, open apps, and compose text all without using his hands, voice, or eyes.’

Why it Matters

The patient in Synchron’s video, Mark Jackson, suffers from ALS, which is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that causes people afflicted with it to lose the ability to control voluntary muscle movements. People with ALS gradually lose the ability to control their physical muscle movements which prevents them from doing a number of ordinary everyday activities including getting dressed or opening doors. 

The ability to control devices by thoughts and without body movement or gestures could open up new possibilities for those with ALS and similar conditions. According to PCMag, who interviewed Mark Jackson, ‘When I lost the use of my hands, I thought I had lost my independence,’ says Jackson. ‘Now, with my iPad, I can message my loved ones, read the news, and stay connected with the world, just by thinking. It’s given me part of my life back.’

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What makes the process work in Mark’s case is the Stentrode, which is itself a type of device that can be implanted into the brain. But because the small, long and extremely thin structure of the device allows it to be guided through veins that lead to the brain, open brain surgery is not required for implantation to be accomplished. Once implanted, the device can measure brainwaves that correspond to the thought of tapping a finger or eye movement, which is how the BCI uses brainwaves to give instructions to electronic devices.

The wearer simply thinks about tapping their finger or selecting an icon on a screen like an app, and the BCI can then interpret those signals and issue instructions to the electronic device, which then follows the commands. In that sense the BCI functions like a keyboard, which relays the commands of human fingers into instructions for a computer. 

How it Affects You

For people suffering from ALS, paralysis, or similar conditions, BCI devices offer the potential to restore a degree of independence to their lives that cannot be recovered any other way. By connecting BCI to widely available commercial devices like Apple products, Synchron is demonstrating the potential to mass market its BCI products.