IT'S MADE ME FEEL HUMAN AGAIN

After breaking his neck six years ago, James Johnson is quadriplegic. But thanks to a "brain-computer interface" implanted in his skull, he can now make art, play video games and dream of one day being able to drive and walk

- DANNY FORTSON

ON AN ill-fated day in March 2017, James Johnson crashed while paramotoring, a sport that involves strapping a propeller and parachute to a go-kart and flying over 3 000 metres in the air. When he woke up in a hospital, he thought his life was over. The nurse and father of four had broken his neck, leaving him quadriplegic. He would never walk again, he was told.

"Why did you let them resuscitate me? Look at me!" a despondent James (then 43) asked his wife.

Six years on, he requires round-the-clock care. But although he has limited movement of his arms and no use of his trunk, legs or fingers bar one, which he can twitch, he could soon be driving a car using the power of his mind.

James is one of about three dozen people in the world fitted with what is known as a brain-computer interface (BCI), an array of electrodes implanted in the brain and connected to a computer that interprets thoughts and translates them into actions on electrical devices.

The technology gives him a power akin to telepathy and telekinesis. The one rather obvious clue of that superhuman capability is the screw-on bolts protrudin from his skull. These cover sockets connect to cables that send his brain activity to computers, enabling him to make art, write emails and even play video games with the power of thought alone.

James is a pioneer in an industry that is quietly booming. At least half a dozen start-ups are developing BCIs, or neural prosthetics as they are also known. Their initial focus is on helping the severely disabled to regain function, which includes re-animating limbs, enabling those afflicted by "locked-in" syndrome to communicate and potentially helping the blind to see.