--- title: "Man With ALS Tweets Using Brain Implant That Translates Thoughts Into Text" description: "Australian brain computer interface company Synchron allowed a 62-year-old man with ALS to turn his thoughts directly into tweets." date: "2021-12-23" modified: "2021-12-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/als-tweets-brain-implant" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Prosthetics and Devices" tags: - "als" - "brain computer interfaces" --- # Man With ALS Tweets Using Brain Implant That Translates Thoughts Into Text ![Australian brain computer interface company Synchron allowed a 62-year-old man with ALS to turn his thoughts directly into tweets.]() *\Image: Synchron\* Australian brain computer interface (BCI) company Synchron allowed a 62-year-old man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to turn his thoughts directly into tweets — using a device implanted in his brain. It's the first time somebody was able to write messages on social media directly through a BCI, the company claims — a symbolically significant moment for the technology that could open the door for people with paralysis to stay in touch with the world. "Hello, world!" [tweeted ]()Philip O'Keefe, who is suffering from progressive paralysis caused by the disorder, from the account of Synchron CEO Thomas Oxley. "Short tweet. Monumental progress." "My hope is that I'm paving the way for people to tweet through thoughts," he added in a [followup message](). ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, has caused the 62-year-old O'Keefe to lose much motor function and left him unable to work. In April 2020, he received the Stentrode BCI, a small stent-mounted electrode array implanted in the brain through the jugular. "When I first heard about this technology, I knew how much independence it could give back to me," O'Keefe said in [a statement](). "The system is astonishing, it's like learning to ride a bike — it takes practice, but once you're rolling, it becomes natural." "Now, I just think about where on the computer I want to click, and I can email, bank, shop, and now message the world via Twitter," he added. In July, the neurotech startup was granted regulatory [approval by the FDA]() to start testing the device on volunteers. "These fun holiday tweets are actually an important moment for the field of implantable brain computer interfaces," Oxley said in the statement. "They highlight the connection, hope and freedom that BCIs give to people like Phil who have had so much of their functional independence taken away due to debilitating paralysis." ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()