Recognizing keyboard typing as a familiar, high information rate communication paradigm, we developed an intracortical brain computer interface (iBCI) typing neuroprosthesis providing bimanual QWERTY keyboard functionality for people with paralysis. Typing with this iBCI involves only attempted finger movements, which are decoded accurately with as few as 30 calibration sentences. Sentence decoding is improved using a 5-gram language model. This typing neuroprosthesis performed well for two iBCI clinical trial participants with tetraplegia - one with ALS and one with spinal cord injury. Typing speed is user-regulated, reaching 110 characters per minute, resulting in 22 words per minute with a word error rate of 1.6%. This resembles able-bodied typing accuracy and provides higher throughput than current state-of-the-art hand motor iBCI decoding. In summary, a typing neuroprosthesis decoding finger movements, provides an intuitive, familiar, and easy-to-learn paradigm for individuals with impaired communication due to paralysis.

CAUTION: Investigational Device. Limited by Federal Law to Investigational Use. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, or the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the United States Government. The MGH Translational Research Center has a clinical research support agreement (CRSA) with Axoft, Neuralink, Neurobionics, Precision Neuro, Synchron, and Reach Neuro, for which LRH provides consultative input. LRH is a co-investigator on an NIH SBIR grant with Paradromics, and is a non-compensated member of the Board of Directors of a nonprofit assistive communication device technology foundation (Speak Your Mind Foundation). The MGH Translational Research Center has a clinical research support agreement (CRSA) with Paradromics, for which DBR provides consultative input. Mass General Brigham (MGB) is convening the Implantable Brain-Computer Interface Collaborative Community (iBCI-CC); charitable gift agreements to MGB, including those received to date from Paradromics, Synchron, Precision Neuro, Neuralink, and Blackrock Neurotech, support the iBCI-CC, for which LRH provides effort. SDS and FRW are inventors on intellectual property owned by Stanford University that has been licensed to Blackrock Neurotech and Neuralink Corp. MW, SDS, and DMB have patent applications related to speech BCI owned by the Regents of the University of California including IP which has been licensed to a neurotechnology startup. SDS is an advisor to Sonera.

NCT00912041

Office of Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs (A2295R, A4820R, N2864C, A3803R), NIH NIDCD (U01DC017844, K23DC021297, R01DC014034), NIH NINDS (U01NS123101), AHA (23SCEFIA1156586), CDMRP (HT94252310153), a Pilot Award from the Simons Collaboration for the Global Brain (872146SPI), A.P. Giannini Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Career Award at the Scientific Interface from BWF.

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