“Over the last 10 years, we have seen technologies that can retain speech or allow people to speak through a machine, or what the new state-of-the-art is in ALS is what we call brain-computer interface, or BCI devices,” Dr. Dave said. This technology records brain signals and then translates or decodes those brain signals to allow someone who is not able to move to control objects in their environment using their minds.
“And so, people who can’t speak are able to speak by just thinking about it, or are able to type by just thinking about it. The last 10 years since the Ice Bucket Challenge have changed this brain-computer interface field, and it’s really become the state-of-the-art,” he said.
According to Dr. Dave, another technology that has really gained prominence in the last five years is wheelchair seat elevation. When meeting people in wheelchairs, they’re generally seated at a lower level, and like most people, want the opportunity to make eye contact.
“The technology has now developed where wheelchairs can have seat elevation, and because of the change, they’re able to do things, not just speak to you at eye level, but maybe open a fridge that they couldn’t before or open a cabinet that they couldn’t before. And these are the type of technologies that normally don’t get a lot of highlighting but are really important to manage ALS.”