# Intuitive, complete neural control of tablet computers for communication

> **NIH NIH U01** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $107,105

## Abstract

Project Summary
Conventional augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices for people with
severe speech and motor impairments (SSMI) rely on residual motor function, inherently
limiting communication throughput. Commercially available AAC solutions require daily
caregiver setup, need frequent recalibration often from a technically savvy caregiver, are often
unable to be used in dark lighting conditions, and can encumber or fatigue important remaining
physical abilities. Furthermore, for people with progressive motor dysfunction due to
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), even the most well-designed AAC devices will eventually
fail as movements become unreliable. For people with brainstem stroke, ALS, and other
disorders causing locked-in syndrome (LIS) or SSMI, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) hold
promise as a method of enabling communication that does not rely upon speech or voluntary
movement. In prior NIDCD-supported research, our BrainGate research team provided early
proofs of principle of a powerful intracortical brain-computer interface (iBCI) that decodes
movement intentions directly from brain activity. This technology has allowed people to control
a cursor on a computer screen for communication simply by imagining movements of their own
arm. The proposed NIDCD U01 clinical research will further the development and testing of a
fully implanted iBCI that could provide robust, intuitive control of industry-grade communication
apps for people with LIS or SSMI. By leveraging the ongoing pilot clinical trials of the
investigational BrainGate system, we aim to (1) improve the robustness and accuracy of
neurally actuated point-and click, in part through the translation of neuronal activity from
human premotor and motor cortex, (2) expand the number of input dimensions to tablet
computers available via neural activity, allowing intended hand gesture commands to control
communication apps on touch-screen tablet computers, and (3) rigorously compare the
performance of the investigational BrainGate system to trial participants’ conventional AAC
systems with respect to communication competence, information throughput, user preference
and outcomes measures. By incorporating the feedback of six individual participants with
paralysis, this feasibility trial will optimize a powerful iBCI for communication and will establish
the metrics needed for a subsequent pivotal trial of a fully implanted, always-available iBCI
communication system for people with SSMI.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10952243
- **Project number:** 3U01DC017844-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** LEIGH R HOCHBERG
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $107,105
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10952243

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10952243, Intuitive, complete neural control of tablet computers for communication (3U01DC017844-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10952243. Licensed CC0.

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