TED演講者：Tom Oxley / 湯姆·奧克斯利

演講標(biāo)題：A brain implant that turns your thoughts into text / 能將想法轉(zhuǎn)成文字的大腦芯片

內(nèi)容概要：What if you could control digital devices using just the power of thought? That's the incredible promise behind the Stentrode -- an implantable brain-computer interface that collects and wirelessly transmits information directly from the brain, without the need for open surgery. Neurotech entrepreneur Tom Oxley describes the intricacies of this breakthrough technology, which is currently enrolling participants in human trials, as well as how it could help restore dignity to those with disabilities -- and transform the future of communication.

想象一下你能只用意念控制電子設(shè)備？這是 Stentrode 的不凡承諾。Stentrode 是一款可植入腦機(jī)接口，能收集并無線傳輸大腦信息，且無需開刀手術(shù)。神經(jīng)元科技企業(yè)家湯姆·奧克斯利（Tom Oxley）為你帶來這項突破性技術(shù)（現(xiàn)正招募人員進(jìn)行臨床試驗）背后錯綜復(fù)雜的故事，同時講述該技術(shù)如何為障礙人群恢復(fù)尊嚴(yán)，以及如何為未來的溝通方式變革鋪設(shè)道路。

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【1】A few months ago, I surrendered the password to my Twitter account to let a person with paralysis tweet out their thoughts.

幾個月前, 我把我的推特密碼交給了 一位癱瘓患者, 讓他用推文表達(dá)自己的想法。

【2】But I mean that literally.

而且大家可以就按字面意思去理解。

【3】Philip O'Keefe can't use his fingers to type like you or I, but thanks to a tiny brain implant, he was able to send the following tweets.

菲利普.奧基夫（Philip O’Keefe） 無法像你我一樣用手打字, 但多虧了一塊 小小的大腦植入芯片, 他才能發(fā)出以下推文。

【4】'"Hello world! Short tweet. Monumental progress."

“你好,世界?。ǔＳ糜谑状尉幊萄菔荆?很短的推文,但確是豐碑式的進(jìn)步?！?/p>

【5】'"No need for keystrokes or voices.

“不用敲鍵盤,也不用語音。

【6】I created this tweet just by thinking it."

我靠意念發(fā)出了這條推文?！?/p>

【7】'"My hope is that I pave the way for people to be able to tweet through thoughts. Phil."

“希望我為人們實現(xiàn) 通過想法發(fā)推一事 開創(chuàng)了先河。 菲爾致上。”

【8】Now you might be thinking there are some people out there who should not be allowed to tweet directly from their brain.

你現(xiàn)在可能在想, 有些人不應(yīng)該被允許 直接發(fā)出腦內(nèi)的想法。

【9】I agree.

我同意。

【10】But for people with paralysis and disability, this technology can be life-changing.

但對于癱瘓和 有身體障礙的群體來說, 這項技術(shù)會起到改變?nèi)松淖饔谩?/p>

【11】I'm very excited to introduce you to Philip and Rodney.

我很激動能向你介紹 菲利普和羅德尼（Rodney）。

【12】They both have a neurodegenerative disease called ALS, means they can't move their hands or speak clearly, but they can now text thanks to a brain-computer interface or BCI.

他們都患有神經(jīng)退行性疾病, 即漸凍癥（ALS）, 這意味著他們的手部不能 靈活移動,口齒也不太伶俐, 不過在腦機(jī)接口技術(shù) （簡稱BCI）的支持下, 現(xiàn)在他們能夠發(fā)消息了。

【13】There were Philip's brain signals up on the screen.

屏幕上顯示的是 菲利普的大腦信號。

【14】They're connected to their computers via Bluetooth.

信號通過藍(lán)牙連接著電腦。

【15】The device is fully internalized, invisible to the outside world, and they learn to control the keyboard with clicks directly coming from their brain.

腦機(jī)接口設(shè)備是完全內(nèi)置在體內(nèi)的, 從外面看是見不到的, 然后用戶學(xué)會通過腦內(nèi) 輸出的“點(diǎn)擊”控制鍵盤。

【16】Now BCIs conjure up images of science fiction like "The Matrix"

腦機(jī)接口通常會讓人聯(lián)想到 科幻電影的場景,比如《黑客帝國》,

【17】with a cable jacked up into your brain through a hole in your skull.

電線插進(jìn)頭骨的開孔里,連接大腦。

【18】But I'm here to show you that the future can be much more elegant than that.

但我想讓你們知道腦機(jī)接口 在未來會比上述畫面做得更人性化。

【19】So we got this group chat going, which I thought was a great idea, until they started roasting me about the TED Talk -

我們平時都有群聊, 我本來覺得是個很棒的做法, 但在他們都開始拿 TED Talk 捉弄我之后,我不這么認(rèn)為了,

【20】Which they found hilarious.

他們覺得我上 TED Talk 這件事很滑稽。

【21】Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys, bloody Australians.

謝謝你們的加油打氣,朋友們, “可惡”的澳大利亞人。

【22】Now you can see it's still quite slow for them to type this way, but this is like dial up speeds at the beginning of the Internet.

如你們所見,他們這種方式的 打字速度還是挺慢的, 但這就類似于互聯(lián)網(wǎng) 剛開始時的撥號上網(wǎng)階段。

【23】This is a new Moore's Law.

這是新的摩爾定律。

【24】We're just getting started.

我們的未來可期。

【25】That's Philip.

這位是菲利普。

【26】This has been the dream of patients and caregivers, doctors and scientists, for decades, and for good reason.

這是患者、護(hù)理者、醫(yī)生、科學(xué)家們 多年來夢寐以求的技術(shù), 而且理由很充分。

【27】You may know someone who's lost the ability to use their hands, maybe from a stroke or a spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis, paralysis.

你可能認(rèn)識某個失去了 雙手使用能力的人, 可能是由中風(fēng)引起, 可能是脊髓損傷, 也有可能是因為 多發(fā)性硬化、麻痹癥。

【28】It comes in all shapes and sizes, from minor inconvenience to life-threatening.

行動不便會導(dǎo)致各種各樣的情況: 小到輕微的不便之處, 大到威脅生命安全。

【29】During my neurology residency, I cared for a man in his 40s.

在我神經(jīng)內(nèi)科實習(xí)期間, 我看護(hù)了一個 40 來歲的病人。

【30】He had a stroke and developed locked-in syndrome.

他中風(fēng)后出現(xiàn)閉鎖綜合征。

【31】Meant he couldn't move his body, except for his eyes, left or right.

這意味著除去他的雙眼能左右 運(yùn)動外,身體皆有運(yùn)動障礙。

【32】His brain still worked like yours.

他的大腦仍能正常運(yùn)作, 跟各位的一樣。

【33】He could see and hear and think and feel just like normal, but he couldn't move or speak ever again.

他的視聽能力、思考能力 和感官一切正常, 但是他再也無法運(yùn)動或說話。

【34】And in what were horrific circumstances, we supported his wish to be taken off life support.

回想起來,還是很遺憾, 那時我們遵循了他的意愿, 停用了他的生命支持設(shè)備。

【35】And so I've been wondering ever since, was there not anything else that could have been done?

自此之后,我就在想, 難道就真的沒有其他辦法了嗎？

【36】Connection is a fundamental human need.

情感聯(lián)結(jié)是人類的基本需求。

【37】So many of our patients have lost the ability to speak, let alone type, for years, and they so desperately want to reconnect with their family, with their loved ones.

我的很多患者在很早之前就失去了 言語能力,更別說打字的能力了, 他們很渴望能和家人和所愛之人 再次交流聯(lián)系起來。

【38】You know what the main request we get is?

你猜我們最常聽到的請求是什么？

【39】Text messaging.

他們想要發(fā)文字消息的能力。

【40】And then email.

發(fā)郵件的能力。

【41】Control over their smartphone.

他們希望能掌控自己的手機(jī)。

【42】And shock horror, social media.

更讓人意外的是, 他們希望參與到社交媒體中。

【43】We've been speaking so much lately about the flaws of these technologies, but for people with paralysis, this is a return to life.

我們近來經(jīng)常說起這些科技的缺點(diǎn), 但對癱瘓的人來說, 上述的科技能助他們重獲新生。

【44】BCIs make all of this possible.

腦機(jī)接口能讓這一切變得可行。

【45】Now, part of the problem has been that BCIs typically require invasive surgery.

現(xiàn)在有個問題是 腦機(jī)接口一般都要開刀手術(shù)。

【46】This is the Utah Array.

屏幕上是多通道神經(jīng)電極 （Utah Array）。

【47】This is designed similarly to all other BCIs currently under development, which require drilling needles directly into the brain.

這個電極跟其他研發(fā)中的腦機(jī)接口 大同小異, 它們都需要把針頭徑直 鉆進(jìn)腦內(nèi)才能使用。

【48】Now, this has been the basis of critical fundamental research over the last 20 years and the early proof that this technology really can perform.

這類電極是過去 20 年間 基本且關(guān)鍵研究中的基石, 也是腦機(jī)接口技術(shù)有 可能實現(xiàn)的早期證明。

【49】But for patients, it means open-brain surgery, which involves cutting through the skull with a saw.

然而對于患者來說, 這意味著開顱手術(shù), 包括用鋸子鋸開頭骨。

【50】And there are only about 150 functional neurosurgeons in the US that can perform this procedure.

在美國只有大概 150 名 功能性神經(jīng)外科醫(yī)生 能夠操刀進(jìn)行這項手術(shù)。

【51】Apart from the fact that the recovery is tricky, the brain doesn't really like having needles put into it.

除了恢復(fù)過程很棘手 這個事實以外, 人類的大腦實際上 也十分抗拒與針頭接觸。

【52】It develops this foreign-body tissue rejection immune reaction over time.

手術(shù)后會多次引發(fā) 排斥異物組織的免疫反應(yīng)。

【53】So I've been wondering, is there any other way into the brain?

所以我一直在想, 有沒有更好的接入大腦的方式？

【54】And there is, a secret back door.

實際上是有的, 我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個秘密通道。

【55】The blood vessels are the natural highways into the brain.

血管是連接大腦的天然通道。

【56】These are hollow tubes that connect every corner of the brain.

這些空心的管道遍布大腦。

【57】The largest vein at the top there is right next to the motor cortex.

大腦頂部最粗的那根血管 緊挨著運(yùn)動皮層。

【58】The exact part of the brain that we want to connect to to restore control to the outside world.

這個區(qū)域正是我們想要連接的地方, 能讓患者重獲掌控外界能力的區(qū)域。

【59】How cool is that?

太酷了吧。

【60】Now we already know how to travel through the blood vessels.

我們早就掌握了 游走于血管間的技術(shù)。

【61】We've been doing it for 40 years, mostly going to the heart.

40 年來,我們都在進(jìn)行類似的操作, 對象多數(shù)是連接心臟的血管。

【62】If anyone here today has had a heart attack, there's a pretty good chance you've had a stent.

在場的各位 如果以前發(fā)作過心臟病, 相信你很有可能裝過心臟支架。

【63】A stent is a metal scaffold delivered through a catheter, which opens up like a flower into the blood vessel.

血管支架是一種 通過導(dǎo)管輸送的金屬支架, 進(jìn)入血管后會像花瓣一樣展開。

【64】Millions of stents are delivered each year, not in the OR, but in the cath lab or catheter laboratory.

每年有數(shù)百萬個支架投入使用, 但不是在手術(shù)室, 而是只用在導(dǎo)管室。

【65】It's now common in the cath lab to navigate up into the brain through the blood vessels.

如今在導(dǎo)管室里進(jìn)行 將支架通過血管送至大腦的操作, 已經(jīng)很普遍了。

【66】And there are 2,500 physicians who can now navigate their way up into the brain.

而且現(xiàn)有 2500 名左右的 醫(yī)生有能力 進(jìn)行這項操作。

【67】But what's really amazing about this is that for BCIs we already know that devices can be left inside a blood vessel, cells grow over it, incorporate it into the wall like a tattoo under the skin, and we're protected from that immune reaction.

不過這項技術(shù)真正驚艷的地方在于: 現(xiàn)在我們已經(jīng)知道了腦機(jī)接口 裝置可置于血管內(nèi), 血管細(xì)胞會沿著裝置增殖, 將其包裹在血管壁內(nèi), 成為皮膚之下的紋身一般的存在, 并且不會引起免疫反應(yīng)。

【68】This is part of the reason why our team became the first in the world to receive a green light from the FDA to conduct clinical trials of a permanently implanted BCI.

這也是我們團(tuán)隊成為世界上 第一支獲得美國食品和藥物管理局 許可的個中原因, 我們團(tuán)隊是首支能進(jìn)行 永久性植入型腦機(jī)接口 臨床試驗的團(tuán)隊。

【69】So what we had to do was figure out a way to put a sensor, connected to this crosslinks of the stent that could record that brain activity.

我們接著要做的事就是 找到放置感應(yīng)器的方法, 感應(yīng)器連接著支架的交聯(lián)點(diǎn), 交聯(lián)點(diǎn)是記錄大腦活動的地方。

【70】To do that, we had to do a complete overhaul of stent manufacturing.

為解決問題,我們需全面 改造支架的生產(chǎn)方式。

【71】This is the end result.

這就是最終成果。

【72】I think it's very beautiful.

我覺得它十分美觀。

【73】Then connect it to a cable which brings the information out of the brain and do it all in a way that it can be delivered in the cath lab.

再將它跟一條線纜相連, 線纜起到將信息輸送出大腦的作用, 并且以上過程皆能在導(dǎo)管室完成。

【74】This way we can make BCI accessible not to the thousands of people, but to the millions of people who need this technology.

這樣腦機(jī)接口不會成為只有 幾千人能夠有機(jī)會接觸的技術(shù), 而是所有需要這項技術(shù)輔助的 數(shù)百數(shù)千萬人都有機(jī)會。

【75】So it wasn't easy, took us ten years, but I'm very excited to show you guys.

所以即使過程很艱難, 花費(fèi)了長達(dá)十年的時間, 我也很高興能為你們展示:

【76】We called this the Stentrode.

Stentrode 電子支架。

【77】Graham Felstead, an incredible human being suffering with ALS, became the first person in the world to receive and use one of these brain-computer interfaces.

格雷厄姆.費(fèi)爾斯特德（Graham Felstead）, 美好的靈魂受困于漸凍癥的折磨, 是世界上第一位 接受并使用這款腦機(jī)接口的人。

【78】And he has very generously offered you, the world, a chance to see what it looks like inside his brain.

他愿意向世界展示 他的大腦內(nèi)部影像。

【79】Would you like to see?

你們想要看看嗎？

【80】Audience: Yes!

觀眾:想！

【81】TO: Seeing this video for the first time was one of the most incredible moments of my life.

湯姆:初次看到這視頻的瞬間, 是我人生中 最不可思議的瞬間之一。

【82】I was standing in the cath lab, Dr. Peter Mitchell had just completed the surgery and you can see the device, the outline of device, sitting inside the blood vessel there.

我在導(dǎo)管室里, 彼得.米切爾（Peter Mitchell）醫(yī)生 剛完成了這項手術(shù), 你能看見這個裝置, 血管內(nèi)的裝置輪廓,

【83】So this popped up on the screen and it just felt like we were witnessing something new in the world.

這個場景能透過屏幕看到, 那時我們感覺在見證世界的新奇跡。

【84】I had tingles down my spine, I've got them now thinking about it again.

我起了一身雞皮疙瘩,激動不已, 再次想起那個瞬間也會起雞皮疙瘩。

【85】I turned to my colleague Pete, and I said something poetic and profound like, "Pete, holy shit!"

我對我的同事彼得（Pete）說了一句話, 充滿詩意與深意的一句話: “彼得,我去！”

【86】And then two hours later, something even more amazing happened.

兩個小時后,更奇妙的事情發(fā)生了。

【87】Graham woke up, and he asked, "Am I alive?"

格雷厄姆醒來并問道: “我還活著嗎？”

【88】And our nurse Kristine broke out in tears of relief.

我們的護(hù)士克里斯?。↘ristine） 忍不住大哭,同時松了一口氣。

【89】It was a phenomenal moment.

這是歷史的一個新篇章。

【90】Once it's in place, it's connected to this tiny antenna that sits under the skin in the chest.

裝置放好后, 會連接位于胸腔內(nèi)的微型天線,

【91】This collects the raw brain data and sends it out of the body wirelessly to then connect with external devices.

天線負(fù)責(zé)收集 未經(jīng)處理的大腦數(shù)據(jù), 再將數(shù)據(jù)無線傳到 體外的外部設(shè)備。

【92】It's always on and ready to go.

這套設(shè)施是全天候運(yùn)行的, 而且技術(shù)成熟。

【93】Kind of like how your brain is meant to work.

跟我們大腦的運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)方式差不多。

【94】So here's how it works.

裝置系統(tǒng)的工作原理如下:

【95】Our engineers work with our patients to decode specific movements.

我們的工程師跟患者 合作解碼指定動作。

【96】So we tell the patient, "Press down your foot."

我們跟患者說:“腳趾壓地?！?/p>

【97】So they'll repeatedly press down their foot.

他們會反復(fù)地執(zhí)行這個動作。

【98】You won't see the foot moving because they're paralyzed, but we've been able to determine which brain signals are generally linked to "Press down your foot."

不過實際上你是看不到腳在移動的, 因為患者是癱瘓的。 這樣做的目的是我們能定位 大腦里哪個區(qū)域 在發(fā)出“腳趾壓地”的信號。

【99】The black dotted line is the moment of pressing down the foot, and you can see the brain signal is different before to after, which means we can turn that into a switch.

圖上的黑點(diǎn)就是“腳趾壓地”時 發(fā)出信號的相關(guān)區(qū)域。 你能看到,執(zhí)行動作之前與 之后的大腦信號是不同的, 這意味著我們可以據(jù)此轉(zhuǎn)化。

【100】Now we repeat this for several different types of movements, say, open/close your hand or pincer-grip your finger.

我們接著重復(fù)不同類型的行動, 比如,張手、握拳、捏住等。

【101】Now, that may not seem like much, but these become the building blocks for every single interaction on a digital device that is needed for control.

這聽上去似乎沒什么大不了, 但這是掌控電子設(shè)備的過程中 每一項操作的基石。

【102】Converted to click, up, down, left, right, menu, back, etc.

執(zhí)行動作能轉(zhuǎn)變成 點(diǎn)擊、上下左右移動、打開菜單、 返回等電子操作。

【103】But what's really amazing is that to some degree, this process, our brain signals, are universal.

然而真正的奇妙之處在于: 大腦信號在某種程度上來說 是世界通用的。

【104】So the brain signal for "Press down your foot" for me is the same as it is for you.

我發(fā)出的“腳趾壓地”的大腦信號 跟你的是一樣的。

【105】Now this means that we're creating a dictionary of the brain across all humans.

這意味著我們在建立全人類 通用的大腦字典。

【106】This is going to make BCI truly scalable.

腦機(jī)接口真的有可能 被廣泛運(yùn)用起來。

【107】As Philip once said to me, "It's kind of like learning how to ride a bike.

菲利普有一次對我說, “這個過程跟學(xué)騎自行車差不多?！?/p>

【108】It takes a bit of practice, but once you're rolling, it becomes natural.

需要一點(diǎn)練習(xí),但一旦學(xué)會了, 自然而然就會騎車了。

【109】Now I just look on the screen where I want to click and I'm texting, messaging the world via Twitter."

我能隨意看著屏幕 點(diǎn)開我感興趣的內(nèi)容, 也能在推特上發(fā)信息。

【110】But Graham, he said, as his ALS was progressing, that it gave him immense comfort to know that even if his body was failing, he was always going to be able to tell his wife that he loved her.

可是,格雷厄姆他說, 在他的漸凍癥病情 逐漸惡化的過程中, 就算身體越來越差, 如果他還能夠跟他的妻子說愛她, 可以讓他感到巨大的欣慰。

【111】In the future, I'm really excited about the breakthroughs BCI could deliver to other conditions like epilepsy, depression and dementia.

將來, 我很期待腦機(jī)接口能有新突破 并適用于其他病癥, 例如,癲癇、抑郁或阿爾茲海默癥。

【112】But beyond that, what is this going to mean for humanity?

但除此之外, 這對全人類來說代表著什么？

【113】What's really got me thinking is the future of communication.

我不斷聯(lián)想到未來的交流方式。

【114】Take emotion.

拿情感為例,

【115】Have you ever considered how hard it is to express how you feel?

你有想過表達(dá)自己的情感是 一件多么困難的事情嗎？

【116】You have to self-reflect, package the emotion into words and then use the muscles of your mouth to speak those words.

你得先自我總結(jié), 然后將情感轉(zhuǎn)化為文字, 再通過嘴部肌肉說出來。

【117】But you really just want someone to know how you feel.

可你想要的是讓別人知道你的情感。

【118】For some people with certain conditions, that's impossible.

對部分受局限的人來說, 這是不可能的。

【119】So what if, rather than using your words, you could throw your emotion just for a few seconds?

但假如,不需要用文字包裝好, 你就能直接將情感傳給別人呢？

【120】And have them really feel how you feel.

讓別人切身地體會到你的情感。

【121】At that moment, we would have realized that the necessary use of words to express our current state of being was always going to fall short.

那時,我們就會意識到 只用文字來表達(dá)自身的狀態(tài), 是遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠的。

【122】The full potential of the brain would then be unlocked.

那時,大腦的所有潛能 也能被激發(fā)出來。

【123】But for right now, BCI is about restoring the lives of millions of people with paralysis.

不過就目前來說, 腦機(jī)接口的主要任務(wù)是讓數(shù)百萬 癱瘓患者重返社會生活。

【124】After years of feeling trapped, this technology promises the return of autonomy and independence.

體會到多年社會活動受限的煩悶, 這項技術(shù)能讓患者重拾 自主獨(dú)立的權(quán)力。

【125】But what I really mean is dignity.

但我認(rèn)為,重拾的更是患者的尊嚴(yán)。

【126】Thank you.

謝謝大家。