Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons. These nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements. As the disease progresses, patients lose the ability to control muscles, which leads to speech impairment, difficulty swallowing, loss of mobility, and ultimately the inability to breathe independently.
Last week, Smith posted a video on YouTube showing how his brain implant helps him in his daily life. The brain-computer interface allows him to control the mouse on his MacBook Pro and edit videos with his thoughts. According to him, this is the first video edited using Neuralink or a similar interface.
The implant, which was placed in Smith's motor cortex, is about the size of five folded coins and contains more than a thousand electrodes. Neuralink doesn't read minds all the time, but rather recognizes brain signals that indicate how and where the patient wants to move the cursor on the screen.
At first, Smith tried to control the cursor by imagining his hand movements. But in the end, he found it easier to think about moving his tongue and clenching his jaw — that's how he controls the cursor and makes virtual mouse clicks.
The video was voiced using Smith's synthesized voice, recreated using artificial intelligence. The AI was trained on old recordings where the man could still speak.
In a video hosted by reporter and Elon Musk biographer Ashlee Vance, Neuralink CEO called Smith and expressed hope that the neurochip would make a huge difference to Smith and his family. Smith, for his part, said he was excited to be able to give up his eye-tracking, which he said only worked in the dark, and would now be able to communicate outdoors and in any light. He also noted that the implant allows him to play Mario Kart with his kids.