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NEURAL IMPLANTS & OTHER ASSISTIVE TECH
Mobilizing to Expand Everyone’s Horizons
BY JOHN SAILORS
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Neuralink is another Elon Musk venture—the “Link” being a deep brain stimulator that facilitates communication between mind and machine. Get a view into how the company positions itself at Neuralink.com.
Tesla founder Elon Musk launched his exploration into neural implants to give people with quadriplegia greater options and control. Similarly, via DEKA, Segway inventor Dean Kamen has worked on finding tech solutions which increase range and mobility. From brain implants to bionic arms, wheelchair modifications to smartphone apps—modern technologies have begun to advance the possibility of expanding everyone’s horizons. And the race could be just beginning!
NEURAL IMPLANTS
With neural implants, researchers have made strides which once would have seemed strictly fictional. One such ambitious venture is Musk’s Neuralink—the actual “Link” (or deep brain stimulator) itself the namesake of a company founded in 2016 with a goal of developing a brain/computer interface (BCI) that facilitates communication between mind and machine. Like SpaceX and Tesla, Neuralink is another high-flying effort aimed at changing how people live and imagine living.
“All of your senses—your sight, hearing, feeling, pain,” Musk announced in a live-streamed product demo on Aug. 31, 2020, “these are all electrical signals sent by neurons to your brain. If you can correct these signals, you can solve everything from memory loss, hearing loss, blindness, paralysis, … (to) brain damage. (Those) neurons are like wiring and you kind of need an electronic thing to solve an electronic problem.”
The San Francisco-based enterprise has been initially developing im-
plants it hopes will allow people with quadriplegia to use their thoughts to control devices like smartphones. The Neuralink v 0.9 demo mentioned earlier is available to view on YouTube and begins with a split-screen view: a pig shown eating on one side and its brainwaves shown “firing” on the other while generating a sort of EDM soundtrack, beeping in sync with the animal’s major moves.
Musk has loftier goals for Neuralink’s future, having said he envisions one day having the ability to merge the human brain with A.I. to create superhuman intelligence. Some researchers may consider that the stuff of science fiction; all the same, Neuralink has raised $158 Million so far—$100 Million of that invested by Musk himself—and, at last check, had 90 employees.
The company is not alone as it continues its research. A U.S. analytic arm focused on chasing down wild-sounding science, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently invested $65 Million in six separate research teams which are working on similar projects. The move was part of DARPA’s Neural Engineering Design program originally announced by the Obama administration in 2016.
Those teams have been working to convert neural activity into the same 1s and 0s used in digital code. While their focus has been limited to only a tiny portion of the brain, the belief is that any success will be a first step toward useful therapies and applications.
At least part of the cost of speech generators like AbleNet’s QuickTalker Freestyle tailored to student use may be covered by insurance upon SLP, or speech/language pathologist, referral.
ASSISTED COMMUNICATION
Several assistive devices have been developed which are meant to help people with pathological speech disorders, language problems and/ or related conditions more easily communicate with computers and the world around them. A few include:
• Eye trackers • Speech generators • Speech-recognition software • Mouth sticks, head wands, etc.
Eye trackers
Eye-tracking devices were designed to follow the movement of the iris so users can send optical commands to a computer, opening up new worlds of communication for nonverbal children and adults. Tech-
$30,000
MSRP FOR THE NEXT GEN IBOT® PMB CLASS II WHEELCHAIR
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(SOURCE: UNITED SPINAL ASSOC.)
Eye-tracking devices follow iris movement, allowing those with a neurodegenerative disease to send optical commands to a computer and communicate. Eye- and head-tracking features in games like “Star Citizen” are said to give users greater control.
nologies by companies such as Eyegaze, Inc., based in Fairfax, Virginia, and the Swedish firm Tobii AB have been developed for people with cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease) and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Additional uses have hinted at the technology’s range. As Tobii Tech division CEO Anand Srivatsa explained: “Adding eye- and head-tracking features to … space simulation game ‘Star Citizen’ enhances an already (immersive) game experience. We see an accelerating trend of simulation gamers using our products, as they are discovering that (such) technology can dramatically improve both their gaming experience and game control.”
Speech generators
“Augmented communication” devices—often in the form of tablets or smartphone apps—activate pre-recorded or synthetic speech output at the push of a button or icon. What they have done is help people with speech difficulties communicate more effectively and efficiently. Device manufacturers include Attainment Company, Inc., a family business founded in 1979 and based in Wisconsin, and AbleNet, Inc., founded in 1985 and based in Minnesota. At least part of the cost of speech generators like AbleNet’s QuickTalker Freestyle may be covered by insurance, opening them up for use by students and other speech/language pathology clients.
Speech-recognition software
Access to personal assistants such as Siri and Alexa were the bells and whistles built into early smartphones. But the technology has since given a boost to people with limited mobility or motor skill challenges. Using a simple microphone, users can: Generate text, navigate online spaces and even operate devices. Google and Apple, Inc., have remained leading developers.
Mouth sticks, head wands, etc.
These devices have allowed people with limited mobility to carry out basic tasks using their mouths and heads, with uses including everything from moving a wheelchair to surfing the web. Known manufacturers include
Sammons Preston and Kinetic and many have gone on to develop assistive devices in this category which are bendable, telescopic, etc.
BIONIC BODY PARTS
Bionic body parts and implants have moved beyond what might have once only been seen on TV, utilized by the likes of someone such as fictional former U.S. Air Force Col. Steve Austin portrayed by Lee Majors in “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
The FDA approved the first DEKA Arm system in 2014, the six programmed grips offered by the upper-arm prosthesis’ hand said to be suited to a variety of tasks—some sophisticated enough to be used for peeling a grape. In 1982, DEKA Research & Development Corp. was founded by Segway inventor Dean Kamen. Hence the name: DEKA.
The New England firm has pursued research and development in a wide range of sectors, aiming to do everything from increasing accessibility on an individual level via assistive devices to looking for ways to provide populations worldwide with access to clean, safe drinking water.
DEKA’s nerve-controlled unit was later named the LUKE Arm and is now marketed and manufactured under its Mobius Bionics banner. The acronym for Life Under Kinetic Evolution is said to reference Luke Skywalker outfitted with a new limb in 1980’s “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.” Mobius once described the product as the “only commercially-available prosthesis with a powered shoulder, allowing a shoulder-level amputee to reach over their head.”
Initial development of the innovative arm was aided by $40 Million in funding from DARPA, evidence of another investment in futuristic science by the U.S. defense unit—this time with an eye on highly-functional prosthetic limbs of benefit to wounded soldiers. VA researchers were integral in testing the LUKE Arm and in working with amputees who were fitted with the device.
– Elon Musk, who invested $100 Million of his own in Neuralink
COCHLEAR IMPLANTS
Implant technology has been around for decades and has already led to the discovery of many practical devices. Cochlear implants, first invented in France in 1957 by André Djourno and Charles Eyriès, provide a sense of sound for people who are deaf or have severe hearing disorders. u
324,000+
# OF COCHLEAR DEVICES IMPLANTED WORLDWIDE AS OF 2012
Unlike hearing aids, which were built to amplify sound, cochlear implants use a new means of auditory input.
The devices are designed to pick up sound via microphone and send it to a tiny computer worn behind the ear which then directly stimulates the auditory nerve. The first commercial cochlear implant was approved by the FDA in 1984. The devices have come a long way since, today’s variety providing better sound quality and making communication more productive.
They can be placed in one ear or both, the Mayo Clinic stating they can benefit users as young as 6- to 12-months old. The National Institutes of Health reported that, as of 2012, at least 324,000 cochlear devices had been implanted worldwide. Of those, 58,000 were implanted in American adults and about 38,000 in American children.
THE WHEELCHAIR RACE
Wheelchairs are on the move, too, and have come a long way in recent years. Not surprisingly, Dean Kamen, et al., also entered this race. In June 1999, Kamen introduced the public to the initial version of the iBOT electric wheelchair on NBC’s “Dateline.” One of the unit’s biggest selling points was that it could handle rough terrain, including snow and sand.
Development was begun in 1990. By 1994, DEKA had signed a manufacturing and R&D deal with Johnson & Johnson’s Independence Technology division, which spent roughly $50 Million on the project. The unit, FDA-approved in 2003, could “stand” by balancing on two wheels to raise a person nearly 6 ft. Perhaps most important to the wheelchair bound, it could climb stairs. Unfortunately, the powered device seemed ahead of its time.
In 2009, Johnson & Johnson backed out with 500 units sold (MSRP: $25,000, Medicare said to cover $5,000). Kamen kept at it, though, and by 2016 was working on a next gen iBOT® PMD—a less-regulated Class II “personal mobility device”—assisted by Toyota. Cleared by the FDA in 2018, it has been slowly rolled out in New Hampshire with users trained in its operation. Price has remained steep (MSRP: $30,000), Mobius Mobility stating it does not file claims with Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance but can provide needed paperwork to users or clinicians.
A different kind of wheelchair race: Australian John Maclean leads the pack during the 10 km event at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games.
IMAGE CREDIT: AUSTRALIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE
Chairs not reliant on power have remained on the market and grown more compact. The “As Seen on TV” Karman LT-980 is a lightweight, manual model with an 18-in. seat width built on a folding, 13-lb. frame. At 24 lbs. overall, reviews have suggested it is best for indoor use and that its polyurethane, non-marking wheels are suited to floors or carpets. At last check, the regularly $780 priced chair was marked down to $318 at KarmanHealthcare.com.
The Wheelchair Foundation, headquartered north of Pleasanton, California, is one nonprofit which has embarked on an “international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities.” In the process, it has set out to make it joyful to give and forge global friendships through donations which provide wheelchairs to those who cannot afford them.
A division of Behring Global Educational Foundation, the 501(c)(3) has promoted its vision as seeking to offer hope, mobility and independence to the roughly 100 Million children, teens and adults in need—some 6 percent of a developing nation’s population in places like Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia or Sierra Leone. For every $150 USD received: A new wheelchair is purchased, shipped and delivered in coordination with various relief organizations.
One great addition to the wheelchair has been the smartphone. Yes, there are apps for that and several offer more than just improved internet access or entertainment streaming capabilities. Automation can be a great convenience for anyone with limited mobility. Smart-home apps allow users to control lights, appliances and other devices relatively easily. Away from home, apps like Google Maps can help locate accessible restaurants, retail shops, hotels, parks and more—making the world a friendlier place to socialize and navigate.
The technologies and devices highlighted here are having an impact on the lives of people with physical and other disabilities. Each opens up new levels of communication, mobility and independence which were beyond reach a few decades ago. n
