Brain implant lets paralysed man post ‘first direct thought tweet”


As tech becomes ever-more entwined with everyday life, modern devices have a habit of leaving disabled people behind. From computers to smartphones, as tech gets more complicated, it becomes more inaccessible for many. However, with the use of brain implants, disabled people may be able to use devices like the rest of us.

Brain Implant Tweet

In a new development, brain implant technology has helped a paralysed man experience the world of social media. By using an implant created by Synchron, the man was able to create the world’s first tweet posted by thought.

Announced via a blog post, Synchron’s implant was paired with 62-year-old Australian man Philip O’Keefe. As a sufferer of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), O’Keefe is unable to use traditional hardware.

However, with Synchron’s implant, O’Keefe was able to connect to the world with his first thought-posted tweet. Posted on Synchron CEO Thomas Oxley’s Twitter account, O’Keefe tweeted:

“No need for keystrokes or voices. I created this tweet just by thinking it. My hope is that I'm paving the way for people to tweet through thoughts — Phil.”

Read More: Mark Zuckerberg awarded ‘Scoundrel of the Year 2021’

The tech is improving quickly

Brain implant technology has been improving in recent years. Companies like Neuralink, Paradromics and others are working on bringing the technology to market in the next few years. While the idea of implants have been around for decades, it's only in the past ten years where the tech has become viable.

Of course, we're still far, far away from the promises of some implant companies. For example, Neuralink owner Elon Musk claims that his technology will merge humanity and AI. With the current state of hardware, that's not happening anytime soon.

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