Synchron, a New York-based company, has created a device called “Synchron Switch” that allows patients to control an iPhone or iPad using their brain.

According to Semafor, an array of sensors known as a “Stentrode” is inserted into the top of the brain via a blood vessel. It is controlled wirelessly using the Synchron Switch on the patient’s chest.

Rodney Gorham, a retired software salesman in Melbourne,has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a nervous system disease that severely impacts physical functioning.

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Synchron has six patients using the Synchron Switch device and Gorham is the first ever to use it with an Apple product, according to a report.

“We’re excited about iOS and Apple products because they’re so ubiquitous, and this would be the first brain switch input into the device,” Tom Oxley, Synchron’s co-founder and CEO was quoted as saying.

With the Synchron Switch, Gorham’s thoughts are turned into action on the iPad.

The iPad registers Gorham’s foot tapping as a finger tap when he thinks about tapping his foot.

Using his Synchron Switch, Gorham is able to send single-word text messages from his iPad, reports Semafor.

Synchron is also the first company to receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to conduct clinical trials for a computer-brain implant.

The company, which has raised $70 million in venture capital and other funding, foots the cost of implanting and maintaining the device, it added.

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