In his first tweet, he wrote: 'There is no need for keystrokes or voices. I made this tweet merely by thinking about it.' #helloworldbci
Thanks to a small brain implant the size of a paperclip, a paralysed man in Australia has become the first person to tweet a message by direct thinking. The 62-year-old Philip O'Keefe suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cannot move his upper limbs. In his first tweet, he wrote: 'There is no need for keystrokes or voices. I made this tweet merely by thinking about it.' #helloworldbci
no need for keystrokes or voices. I created this tweet just by thinking it.
— Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl)To spread the word, he took over Synchron CEO Thomas Oxley's Twitter account and used the hashtag #HelloWorldBCI. O'Keefe's purpose was to share his experience of recovering independence with the rest of the world and to provide encouragement for the future.
Phillip O’Keefe is a hero who has pioneered the first use of human implanted Brain Computer Interfaces. He is about to do the first BCI tweet. See his story here https://t.co/nYWl6g9rWW or https://t.co/JAvdtmoBJ9 pic.twitter.com/gOhnLEQ0Hi
— Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl)
In 2015, he was diagnosed with ALS which is a kind of Motor Neurone Disease. On December 23, he used the Stentrode brain-computer interface to effectively convert his own thoughts to writing (BCI). The interface, created by Synchron, a neurovascular bioelectronics medical company located in California, allows patients to do computer tasks just by thinking about them.
O'Keefe stated that when he first learned about this technology, he realised how much independence it might provide him. He described the technique as "amazing," comparing it to learning to ride a bike; it takes practise, but once you're rolling, it becomes second nature.In April 2020, he obtained the brain-computer interface as a result of worsening paralysis caused by ALS, which rendered him unable to engage in work-related or other independent tasks.
He has now used technology to reconnect with his family and business colleagues, continuing email conversations and being engaged in his consultancy and other commercial endeavours.
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