This man with ALS is “the first power user” of a brain implant that lets him speak

Casey Harrell, a man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has become the first "power user" of a brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to restore speech, according to a report in Nature Medicine. Harrell, who has been paralyzed and has difficulty speaking, has used the implanted electrodes for over 3,800 hours at home independently within 22.6 months of the device's implantation in July 2023. The BCI, which involves four arrays of 64 electrodes each implanted in his brain, allows him to communicate sentences and has been further enhanced with new features. Harrell now uses the device not only for communication but also to browse the web and perform his job, stating that these advancements are "truly revolutionary" in managing his condition. The research team, including neuroengineer Sergey Stavisky from the University of California, Davis, and associate professor David Brandman from the University of California, Davis, has been working with Harrell since he was 45. Harrell expressed his desire to be part of the "cusp of a transformation" in the BCI industry when he agreed to the trial.