What it’s like to have a brain transplant for 5 years

Initially, Gorham used his brain-computer interface for individual clicks, Oxley says. Then move on to multi-click and slide control at the end, which is like turning up a volume knob. He can now move the computer cursor, which is an example of 2D control – horizontal and vertical movements within a 2D plane.

Over the years, Gorham has been able to try different devices with his implant. Zafar Faraz, Synchron field clinical engineer, says Gorham directly contributed to the development of Switch Control, a new Apple accessibility feature. Announced last year It gives brain-computer interface users the ability to control iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro devices with their thoughts.

In a Video demonstration At last year’s Nvidia conference in San Jose, California, Gorham demonstrates using his implant to play music from a smart speaker, operate a fan, adjust lights, activate an automatic pet feeder, and operate a robotic vacuum cleaner in his home in Melbourne, Australia.

“Rodney was pushing the boundaries of what was possible,” Faraz says.

As a clinical field engineer, Faraz visits Gorham at his home twice a week to lead sessions on brain-computer interface. Faraz’s job is to monitor the device’s performance, troubleshoot problems, and also figure out the range of things Gorham can and can’t do with it. Synchron relies on this data to improve the reliability and ease of use of its system.

In the years he was working with Gorham, the two did a lot of experimenting to see what was possible with the transplant. Faraz says he once had Gorham use two iPads side by side, switching between playing a game on one and listening to music on the other. Another time, Gorham played a computer game where he had to grab blocks on a shelf. The game was linked to a real robotic arm at the University of Melbourne, about six miles from Gorham’s home, which moved real blocks remotely in the laboratory.

Gorham, who was a software salesman at IBM before being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2016, enjoyed being a key part of technology development, says his wife, Carolyn.

“It fits Rodney’s life skill set,” she says. “He spent 30 years in IT, talking to customers, finding out what they needed from their software, and then going back to the technology companies to actually develop what the customer needed. Now it’s kind of flipped the other way.” After a session with Faraz, Gorham is often smiling from ear to ear.

Through site visits, the Synchron team realized it needed to change its system setup. Currently, a wire cable with a paddle at one end must be placed on top of the user’s chest. The paddle collects brain signals transmitted through the chest and transmits them via a wire to an external unit that translates those signals into commands. In the second generation system, Synchron removes this wire.

“If you have a wearable component where there is a sensitive contact layer, we knew that was an issue,” Oxley says. “With a large paralyzed population, you have to rely on someone to come in and adjust the wearable components and make sure the link works. That was a big part of the learning for us.”