It doesn’t end at Neuralink

Brad Smith said his decision to connect a webcam to his mind-controlled computer didn’t make sense to the people at Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company.

“Neuralink was really confused with this idea,” Smith said. Edge.

The decision came just six months after a BCI device was implanted in Smith’s brain in November 2024, making him the third person to receive a Neuralink device. Smith was Neuralink’s first patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which has weakened his muscles for the past seven years. While BCI successfully replaced his eye-tracking software as the primary method of cursor control on his laptop, it quickly became clear that the utility of the tool would boil down to what Smith could do with it. He said that using his mind to control the cursor was great for communicating more quickly and browsing the web. But it would be better if he used it to track his son as he ran fast on the soccer field.

Neuralink may not have understood why Smith wanted the scope, but he went ahead and researched the idea himself. He’s arrived at the simple Insta360 Link 2 webcam — known as a conference camera, not a medical device. “They didn’t know why I wanted it, because they didn’t know what I was experiencing, but that’s why I’m here,” Smith said. Edge. (Neuralink did not respond to requests for comment.)

It’s a great hack, and an unsurprising move, said Nathan Copeland, another BCI user. BCI devices are “just a tool,” Copeland said. Edge. He has had BCI from Blackrock Neurotech for over a decade. With it, Copeland used a robotic arm A strong blow to former President Barack Obama and handshake ABC correspondent Will Reeve. But his daily life is still a “mix” of software and technology, just like Smith’s. Copeland speaks loudly into his Google Home throughout the day to dim the lights or turn on the TV. It uses a specially designed controller with large buttons and joysticks, as well as a switch controlled by air jets, to play video games. (He has a spinal cord injury that left him with partial control of his shoulders, biceps, and wrists.)

“I had a guy I met on a forum that made me a guy who would use arcade stick parts and take apart the actual Xbox controller and solder wires and stuff,” Copeland said. “(BCI) gives more power to people (who) can’t use, like, normal means of doing things, but you still have to find software and hardware, things that you can use with it, to continue to adapt to the world.”

BCI devices like Smith’s Neuralink work by recording conversations between neurons in the brain. Neurons release ions in order to transmit information to each other; This can be measured as changes in voltage from electrodes implanted near brain tissue. As Smith thinks about moving his hand, the neurons “speak,” and tiny flashes of electrical signals are transmitted from the electrodes in his brain to the laptop screen raised in front of his face. He thinks and the cursor moves.

BCI replaced Smith’s eye-tracking software, called Eyegaze, which converted his eye line into computer cursor movements using an infrared camera mounted above the computer screen. It’s a tedious technology, and it doesn’t work in sunlight, which means it’s only intended for indoor use. It took Smith a few days to perfect his new thought-controlled indicator. Smith likened it to moving your computer mouse and forgetting that you’re moving your hand and arm at all.

Smith demonstrated using his mind-controlled cursor Edge How does his vision setting work? Once the webcam is connected to his laptop, he can click the buttons on the webcam interface to pan, zoom in and out. He shared the webcam output on a video call, and zoomed in on a photo of himself and Tiffany taken on their wedding day.

After Smith searched for the best webcam for his BCI setup, Neuralink bought it and figured out how to mount it to his wheelchair and computer, Smith said. “They’ve been very helpful in ways to test different settings for future users. Neuralink is trying to make the system easier for people to use and they love the scope.”

It’s not every day that a camera comes out. He does this when children play around him, for example. Or, when a dinner guest joins the family, Smith likes to see the facial expressions from his chair near the dining room table. Whenever he leaves the house, the camera comes with him attached to his wheelchair.

While Smith answers questions, I watch him type out his responses on the text-to-speech app Proloquo4Text, letter by letter, sometimes in entire words anticipation By the program.

It took 1 minute and 17 seconds to respond to a question about its most common use: “I think I use it to talk to people either in person or on the phone.” He added that he also uses it to surf the web.

His cursor moved quickly around his screen; Sometimes he seemed nervous. Tiffany said that “his mind goes and goes,” which means his pointer does as well. Smith demonstrated how he locks his hyperactive cursor in the bottom right corner of the screen in a designated “parking spot.”

In May, Smith contacted Insta360, a company known for action cameras and rotating webcams like the Link 2. The company modified the Link 2 control panel to satisfy Smith’s desire for the camera to work Spin faster and spin farther with every click. The camera remained the same, but each tap of the specially designed control pad moved the camera three times faster, at about 15 degrees per second. A second custom control panel gave Smith the ability to rotate the camera by 0.5 degrees.

Before the conference camera, and before the BCI, there was a bell and other everyday tricks to meet the needs of Smith’s increasingly limited movement. Smith chose a $20 dog bell, the kind that is placed at a dog’s height next to doors, instead of an expensive nurse call button. Smith amplified his voice as it became weaker with a microphone that made him feel like a Backstreet Boy. Use the runner’s phone holder armband to secure his phone to his upper thigh in the perfect spot under his hand so he can drag his fingers across the screen. Now, he programs frequently used phrases and favorite movie quotes into text-to-speech software, allowing him to participate in the fast-moving conversations taking place around him.

“Many natural things are good for disabilities,” Smith said. When asked if he considered himself an innovator, Smith demurred. “I’m just thinking about how to solve the problem, and Tiffany is cheap,” he joked.

Former BCI user Ian Burkhart said in an interview with Disability Discovers Creativity magazine. Edge. People with disabilities “are forced to make adjustments and find solutions to deal with life,” Burkhart said. He is paralyzed from the chest down due to a spinal cord injury in his neck resulting from a driving accident in 2010.

Unlike Smith, who uses his own Neuralink BCI device at home, Burkhart tested BCI technology within the confines of a research laboratory. From 2014 to 2021, Burkhart was part of a clinical research trial at Ohio State University with Blackrock Neurotech, the older BCI company. he Established and leads A support and advocacy group for BCI patients called BCI Pioneers Alliance.

That Smith even able Finding ways to improve his daily BCI experience is the most exciting part of Smith’s story for Burkhart. “I’m personally very excited to see more and more people being able to use BCIs, in particular, in their daily world.”

The discrepancy between a webcam and a Neuralink device seems to Burkhart like another example of the dearth of “brilliant solutions.” “Users are forced to put together things that may not have initially been designed to work together but can work for them,” he said. BCI users should collaborate with researchers early in the design process, Burkhart said.

Smith has spoken extensively about the benefits of BCI Edge. He predicts a future “where BCI blends seamlessly with smart gadgets” such as smart home devices or robotic arms. His dreams extend to controlling his thoughts in his wheelchair, which he uses all the time when he is not in bed.

“In the bigger picture, it opens doors for all ALS patients to remain productive, social and hopeful,” Smith said. “It’s not just technology. It’s rehumanizing us, giving us agency back in a world where our bodies are failing. I’m excited.”