Brad Smith – Arizona husband and father of ALS – has become the third person to receive Neuralink. Elon Musk company.
He was also the first ALS patient and the first nonverbal person to receive an implant, which he shared in a post on Sunday in X.
“I type this in my brain. That’s my main communication,” Smith, diagnosed in 2020, wrote in a post shared by Musk. He thanked the mask.
Smith, who relies on a ventilator to completely paralyze and breathe, created a video using Brain Computer Interface (BCI) To control the mouse on a MacBook Pro, he said.
“This is the first video edited on Neurolink and perhaps the first video edited on BCI,” he said.
“Neuralink has given me freedom, hope and faster communication.”
The video was told by Smith’s “old voice,” he said. artificial intelligence From the recording before he lost his use of his voice.
“I want to explain how Neuralink has impacted my life and give an overview of how it works,” he said.
ALS’s Arizona husband and father Brad Smith is the third person to receive Neuralink, a brain implant created by Elon Musk’s company. (Getty Images)
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to the ALS Association, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
Over time, the disease will impair muscle control until the patient is paralyzed. ALS is ultimately fatal, with an average life expectancy of 3 years, but 10% of patients can survive for 10 years, and 5% live for more than 20 years.
It does not affect cognitive function.
How Elon Musk’s Neuralink Brain Chip Works
Neuralink, approximately 1.75 inches thick, was embedded in Smith’s motor cortex, a part of the brain that controls body movement.
The embedded device captures the firing of neurons in the brain and sends raw signals to the computer.
Neuralink is created by a company with the same name, with Elon Musk’s company. (Getty Images)
“AI processes this data on a connected MacBook Pro, decodes the intended movement in real time and moves the cursor to the screen,” Smith said.
“Neuralink gave me freedom, hope and faster communication,” he added. “have It improved my life so. I’m so happy to be involved in something big that helps so many people. ”
Experimental ALS drugs, if approved, could provide new hope to patients, researchers say
Smith is also a Man of faithshares that he believes that God put him in this position to serve others.
“I don’t always understand why God has caused me to suffer with ALS, but over time I’ve learned to trust his plans for me,” he said.
“God loves me And my family. He answered our prayers in unexpected ways. He congratulated my children and our family. So I’m learning to trust God knows what he’s doing. ”
The wireless device was implanted into Smith’s motor cortex, a part of the brain that controls body movements. (istock)
Smith also said he is grateful to work with “great people” at Neuralink and do “really interesting work.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Als is still really sick of it, but I’m talking about the big picture,” he said. “The whole picture is that I’m happy.”
Dr. Mary Ampicone, medical director of MS Center at Holy Name Medical Center in Teenick, New Jersey, praised Neuralink for his abilities.
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“This is an incredible development that has been gained by third parties using NeuralInk. Using AI To enter your nerve thoughts,” Picone, who was not involved in caring for Smith, told Fox News Digital.
“The current potential of Neuralink is to allow patients with quadriplegia to control their computers and mobile devices with an idea.”
“For every Brad Smith there, there are hundreds of thousands of other disabled patients awaiting access to this technology,” the neurologist said. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
Implants have several risks, Picone noted. Surgical infectionbleeding and damage to the underlying brain tissue.
“But the advantage is that paralyzed patients may use their own ideas to restore personal control of their limbs,” she said.
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Dr. Peter Conrad, Maryland, and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the WVU Rockefeller Institute for Neuroscience in West Virginia, is called Neuralink. AI-driven technology. ”
“Smith is an incredible hero for people with significant disabilities due to illnesses such as ALS,” Conrad, who was not involved in Smith’s care, told Fox News Digital.
“Mr. Smith is an incredible hero for people who are significantly more disabled due to illnesses such as ALS.”
Konrad also spoke about advances that have occurred since the past generation of BCI technology.
“It’s encouraging that over the past five to ten years, the faster progress has been made with neural devices reaching clinical trials,” he said. “However, we are still waiting for the development of BCI devices that are not needed by our team of engineers and experts to customize all patients with severe disabilities with this technology.”
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“For every Brad Smith there, there are hundreds of thousands of other disabled patients awaiting access to this technology. This video shows the safety of these types of devices. Educated doctorengineers and manufacturers who can develop this technology. ”
