The residence uses tiny infrared transmitters in the ceilings which connect to a master computer in the basement, allowing residents who have lost the ability move, speak or walk to do the everyday tasks we often take for granted.  By using small computers on their wheelchairs, residents can now open their door, send for an elevator, control the television, lights and heat - a huge step in maintaining a sense of independence where once there was none.

The meeting was intended as an outlet for Massachusett's A.L.S. organizations to share our individual approaches in the fight against Lou Gherig's Disease and to foster a cooperative battle plan by discovering areas where we may be able to assist each other.  Also in attendance were: ALS Association, Massachusetts Chapter; ALS Therapy Alliance; ALS Therapy Development Institute; Angel Fund; Compassionate Care ALS; Harvard Neuro-Discovery Center; MDA; MGH Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease; Prize 4 Life and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

A presentation was given by Dr. Leigh Hochberg of BrainGate, which is focused on developing technologies to restore the communication, mobility, and independence of people with neurologic disease, injury, or limb loss. BrainGate is the most ambitious Brain-Computer Interface currently in clinical trials, now in its second generation. Dr. Hochberg expounded the latest news from his trials and described the potential to radically alter the lives of those living with A.L.S. by using a computer in real-time to operate external devices simply by thinking about the movement of their own paralyzed hand.

You can preview the BrainGate BCI at www.braingate2.org.