A US man who was paralysed due to a diving accident regained movement one year after receiving an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered brain implant.
Keith Thomas, 46, who was only able to move his arms an inch, can now extend his arm, grab a cup and take a drink using only his thoughts and stimulation. In addition, he can now feel the fur of his family dog since he has more sensation in his wrist and arm, reports Fox News Digital.
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He had a diving accident in 2020 that left him paralysed from the chest down.
“I dove into a swimming pool at a friend’s house between the shallow and deep end. I hit the bottom and broke my neck. I blacked out, and I couldn’t move,” Thomas was quoted as saying.
“It was during Covid-19, so it was extremely difficult and isolating,” he added.
The AI-powered brain implant
In 2023, Thomas underwent a 15-hour surgery, during which the first AI-powered double neural bypass implant was placed in his brain at the US-based Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.
“This groundbreaking clinical trial marks the first time the brain, body and spinal cord have been electronically linked in a paralysed human to restore lasting movement and sensation,” Chad Bouton, the study’s principal investigator and professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at The Feinstein Institutes, was quoted as saying.
Dr. Ashesh Mehta at Northwell Health led the surgical team that implanted five microchips in Thomas’ brain. Two were placed in the region responsible for movement, and three were inserted to control the sensation of touch.
Bouton said that these microchips connect to “two ports implanted in his skull, which are linked to a powerful computer running custom AI that we developed to read Keith’s brainwaves and determine when he wants to move his hand”.
Based on his thoughts, the device, referred to as a “double neural bypass,” reroutes signals around his injury, allowing communication between his brain and body, as detailed by the doctor.
“The double neural bypass technology also stimulates his muscles, brain and spinal cord, all based on his brain patterns, and promotes lasting recovery of movement and sensation.”
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As per doctors, Thomas has achieved three significant milestones, surpassing the team’s expectations.
First, only a few months after surgery, Thomas felt his sister’s touch for the first time in three years after surgery. Second, he doubled his arm strength during the study, and third, he regained arm strength and sensation, allowing him to feel and lift a cup of tea to his mouth and take a drink without any assistance, using only his thoughts, the report mentioned.
Thomas described his own progress as “mind-boggling”.
“Every day, I feel like we are accomplishing more and more,” he said.