The Apple Vision Pro is astonishingly user-friendly, mainly attributed to the absence of controllers. All you need to do is gaze at a control and touch your index finger to your thumb for selection.

However, hand gestures are not always feasible or effortless for the countless individuals worldwide who suffer from upper limb paralysis. Synchron has recently unveiled a revolutionary spatial computing advancement that enables users of the Stentrode BCI (brain computer interface) implant to control an Apple Vision Pro.

A demonstration of this technology was presented in a YouTube video, featuring a person named Mark who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that hinders hand movement. But courtesy of the BCI, he can now utilize a mixed-reality headset. Since the Vision Pro employs eye-tracking to maneuver the cursor, Synchron’s BCI merely needs to detect the intention to make minor hand gestures.

Mark engaged in playing Solitaire, browsing, and watching videos on Apple TV, and sending text messages, choosing words with Synchron’s BCI and Vision Pro software.

This progress follows an equally remarkable display of Mark using a text chat interface that expedites interaction with the assistance of ChatGPT. Synchron posted a YouTube video showcasing its functionality.

Synchron has been at the forefront of BCI research long before Neuralink. The Stentrode was the first BCI implanted in humans, and clinical trials commenced in 2022. Synchron employs well-established methods such as stents and endovascular surgery. While Neuralink is remarkable, allowing mouse-like control through its BCI, it demands opening the skull.

BCI hardware often garners the most attention, but software and integration with external devices are crucial in crafting a more comfortable and functional experience, as evidenced by this novel instance.

The accessibility of this technology is rather limited as clinical trials are still ongoing for both. This implies that it might take several years before the thought control of computers becomes ubiquitous. While the tidings of breakthroughs like this are thrilling, more time and comprehensive testing over the years are requisite to guarantee safety.