Imagine not being able to speak with your loved ones. For many living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), this is a harsh reality. But there’s hope on the horizon. Cognixion, a forward-thinking startup based in the U.S., has rolled out a remarkable device called Axon-R, designed to help ALS patients communicate once more.
ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a tough condition. It slowly takes away a person’s ability to move and speak. In the past, people like Stephen Hawking used custom technologies to communicate. His cheek movements and eye blinks were his words. But thanks to recent advances, we now have a new tool that can help all ALS patients.
The Axon-R headset is a game-changer. It reads brain activity without needing surgery. Using electrodes on the occipital lobe, it captures brain signals triggered by flashing images. With augmented reality, the headset shows users options for letters, words, or phrases. When you focus on a choice, your brain sends signals that the device can read. This means you don’t need to stare directly at something, unlike older devices.
But that’s not all. Axon-R is equipped with an assistive AI system that learns your unique speech or writing patterns. It’s like having a personal assistant that speeds up your communication. Cognixion is working hard to make these conversations as natural as possible, aiming for speeds close to normal talking. The current trials are focusing on fine-tuning how quickly and accurately the device can pick up on what you’re trying to say.
This technology isn’t just for ALS. It could also help people with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy. While companies like Neuralink are exploring invasive options, Cognixion’s non-invasive approach stands out. As Andreas Forslund, CEO of Cognixion, pointed out to Forbes, “While folks like Neuralink are struggling to get into their first patients, we’re going to have 10 users this summer who are all going to be hopefully having conversations when they’ve been silent for a long time.”
Following the initial success, Cognixion plans to expand trials to 50 patients. If these trials go well, we might see FDA approval sooner than expected. This could open up a whole new world of communication for those affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
